


The Knights of 3MIX and their Princesses

by Piano_King



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: 2yeon are idiots but what can we do, Also starring jitzu as an awkward mess, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Crack, Dahmo breaks Sanake’s heart, Drama, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Saida saida saida, why r u still reading tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 69,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28712079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piano_King/pseuds/Piano_King
Summary: A tale of romance, drama, and heart warming wholesomeness. A tale about three knights, who, in a turning point in their careers, were assigned as bodyguards to various important daughters of the kingdom.Nayeon, assigned to Mina, the cold and silent princess of Twiceland. Jeongyeon, assigned to Sana, the enthusiastic and bubbly duchess second in line to the throne. And Jihyo, assigned to Tzuyu, the general’s daughter. She can’t but think she somehow got the short end of the stick.The Order of 3MIX, Twiceland’s most elite band of warriors. Hopeful, strong, and bright, with no idea how three people will change their lives forever. The Medieval Fantasy AU I’m throwing out there because why not.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Park Jisoo | Jihyo, Hirai Momo/Kim Dahyun, Im Nayeon/Yoo Jeongyeon, Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana, Myoui Mina/Son Chaeyoung
Comments: 127
Kudos: 113





	1. Enter, The Knights!

Chapter 1 - Enter, the Knights!

Nayeon huffed as she walked through the halls of Twiceland’s military headquarters. The halls were decked with no shortage of polished, refined snippets - reflecting the very illustrious (or violent, depending on who you talked to) military history of Twiceland. She was clad in her regular knightly gear, shiny silver so bright she had to blink a couple of times after looking at it. The banner she wore - a cloth made of the finest cotton - had the 3MIX symbol on it in a bold red. She held her helmet with her right arm, and her sword was at her side in its scabbard.

With every step she took she could hear the clang of her metal boots against the tile floor. Looking up, she saw a familiar figure at the end of the hallway, before a large wooden door, and her face lighted up. “Jeongyeon!” she called, footsteps quickening. Jeongyeon looked over her shoulder, short blonde hair whipping around. Nayeon gave her a gummy smile, and Jeongyeon returned it faintly. “Jihyo’s already here, I suppose?” Jeongyeon asked. Nayeon paused. “I-I thought she was coming with you!”

Jeongyeon blinked rapidly, eyebrow twitching. “We specifically said you were going to meet her at the entrance!” Nayeon’s voice raised. “Now listen here, Jeong-” Suddenly, the door opened, revealing an exasperated Jihyo. “Hello, Jeongyeon. Nayeon.” she said pointedly. She smiled, a bit forced and a bit threatening. “We were waiting for you.”

A tall figure emerges from the darkness, revealing - “General Chou!” Jeongyeon exclaims, bowing hurriedly, Nayeon following. He wore the official military uniform, a dark blue blazer of sorts, with all sorts of medals pinned on it. He laughed, putting the girls at ease. “Please, no need for formalities! Come in!” he greeted.

3MIX stood together and bowed. “3MIX reporting, sir!” Jihyo called, and the three of them saluted simultaneously. General Chou gestured to the chairs around him, and they sat down. “I’ll get straight to the point, knights. I know you’ve spent your entire careers thus far together as a unit, but I’d like to propose some changes.”

After a pause, he continued. “As you know, the two princesses have always been kept relatively sheltered, and if in public events, there’s always been a large amount of bodyguards with them. I understand that you don’t really want active military positions, yes?” Jeongyeon hesitantly nodded.

“And since your reputation precedes you, I thought this would be the best solution for everyone involved. What are your thoughts?”

Nayeon quickly replied. “Thank you, General, but the royal family is so important, wouldn’t you want someone more. . . seasoned?” Jeongyeon, for once, seemed to agree and nodded along.

General Chou thinks about it for a minute. “You have proven your worth many times. There’s no one else with much experience or credibility. The royal family already agreed to the idea. Besides, I’m sure the princesses would feel more at ease with others similar to age as themselves.”

Jihyo glanced at the others. After a minute of silent communication, Jihyo stood up. “We’ll accept the offer, sir!” General Chou laughed. “Grand!” He exclaimed, shaking their hands eagerly. “Nayeon, you’ve been assigned to Princess Mina, and Jeongyeon to Princess Sana.” Jihyo shifted, and General Chou turned to her. “Oh - I forgot to mention, my own daughter. Tzuyu. Would you be her bodyguard? As tall as she is, she couldn’t hurt a fly.” he chuckled. Jihyo bowed. “Of course, sir.”

The General looked at the clock. “Ah, it’s getting late. You girls better head out. Here - take this.” He handed Jihyo a stack of paper. “More details,” he told her. They all saluted again, and then left, closing the door.

It was quiet except for their footsteps as they walked through the headquarters, slowly digesting the information they had been given. As soon as they stepped outside, however, Nayeon and Jeongyeon high-fived each other in the bitter cold. “Good job!” Nayeon said. Jeongyeon was confused. “But we didn’t even do anyth-”

Jihyo interrupted. “This is great, fantastic!” she said, and they all excitedly shared a group hug, snow falling on them. After pulling back, Jeongyeon said, “Since the Princesses are in the same estate, we’ll still get to see each other!” she told Nayeon. Jihyo grumbled. 

“Meanwhile I’m across the capital. Just what I wanted.” As they started walking, looking at the snow-covered landscape, Nayeon and Jeongyeon lightly bickering, Jihyo read the contents of the papers. Most of it was legal shenanigans or some sort of professional paperwork, and she flipped through it until she found a line which made her mouth drop.

“A RAISE OF 20,000 DUCATS?!” And so it was there, three girls huddled over a sheet of paper, in the horrifyingly chilling outdoors right beyond the military headquarters, that our story begins.

Nayeon looked at the intimidating castle. The royal family had, as expected, a large estate. No, scratch that, it was bigger than large. It was enormous. The entrance to the palace was surrounded by mansions that were fit for any Duke, and when they finally got to the castle Nayeon was floored by how enormous it was. It’s large gray walls surrounded the sky, as if swallowing any clouds that dared pass by. The bridge was lowered so the carriage Nayeon was riding in could carry through.

She continued gaping at the castle, looking at the flags that shined as they flowed, carried by the cold breeze. Nayeon quickly shook herself out of it as she approached the castle. This was no time to be nervous. It’s not like she was underdressed.

She wore a ridiculously sized cape, blue like the military uniforms, and a new set of armor she had been gifted. It was even more silver than her other set (which shouldn’t have been possible, but here we are.) and a new cloth banner with not only 3MIX’s symbol on it but the royal emblem. The royal emblem was also on her chestplate, her new helmet (which she wasn’t wearing at the moment) on her cape in wite, and on her left arm guard.

Maybe it wasn’t a gift, it was a trap. Betrayed by this new knowledge, as she was stepping down the carriage, she almost slipped on the snow that lightly covered the ground. “Holy Sir Arthur of Camelot,” she muttered, but regained her balance (and her dignity. Hopefully.)

She walked towards the castle gate, sword at her hip. It was the same one she had used for years, and it had served her faithfully. When General Chou had suggested she get it replaced, Nayeon had blatantly refused, but she let him change the scabbard, which was enough compromise for the both of them. Distracted by her thoughts, she was already inside the castle before she knew it. She blinked a few times, reorienting herself before walking to the throne room.

Nayeon had to zone out and focus only on walking because of the ridiculously impractical, yet stylish and fancy things that were hung on the walls, dangling on the ceiling, and laid at her feet. This was utterly ridiculous! (Who even needed a deer head with gold antlers? What was that, a 5 foot glass structure of a snake? Please don’t tell me that’s a diamond rope for the chandelier, she prayed.)

After she saw a ten foot water fountain that poured out tiny shards of ruby, she broke. With an exasperated face, she made her way to the throne room, guided by palace staff. She was the only one to enter, two soldiers guarding outside the door. Thankfully, only three people were there. Unfortunately, they were the King, Queen, and Princess. 

The throne room was ridiculously huge, but she was over the grandeur of the palace. Instead, unfazed, she walked towards the thrones, stopping around 10 paces before the foot of it. She kneeled down for a minute, then said. “Your Majesties. Your Highness.” 

“Please, rise,” the King called. After formal introductions were made, he gestured to his daughter. She was pretty, Nayeon mused, but she was cautious. She had heard the rumors - who hadn’t? The cold, cruel, and rejected any potential suitors that came 50 feet of her. The last one wasn’t so bad, Nayeon thought, and decided that she would form her own opinion of her. “You know my daughter, Princess Mina.”

That was Nayeon’s cue. “Of course. Your Highness.” the Queen finally spoke up. “Please don’t be intimidated. We want you to feel welcome here,” she spoke, and Nayeon briefly thought, ‘Well maybe don’t put a statue of a giant made of emerald in your hallway,’ but she restrained herself. It was the thought that counted, and the fact she was saying this at all had to mean something.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Nayeon decided that the King and Queen weren’t all that bad, with warm smiles on their faces. Perhaps a tad bit too stuffy and formal, but that was expected. Now the Princess. . . Right on time, the King smiled. “Mina will lead you to your chambers and give you details about the castle. Please acquaint yourselves.” Mina bowed slightly to him and started to walk out of the room, Nayeon following.

Mina spoke to Nayeon. “You’ll be sharing a room with me. . . sort of. Your room is connected to mine.” Nayeon nodded. “Ah - I haven’t introduced myself properly.” Mina turned to Nayeon and held her hand out, her tone considerably warmer now and a soft smile on her face. “I’m Mina.”

Nayeon started to short circuit. ‘You’re not Mina!’ she wanted to yell. ‘You’re Princess Myoui Mina of Twiceland!’ and then - ‘And why are you holding out your hand? Goodness, where did you even learn such things?!’ But Nayeon quickly realized that she was beginning to sound like Jeongyeon. She shuddered at the thought, then quickly held out her hand also. “Im Nayeon,” she said, giving her signature gummy smile.

Mina continued walking, telling her about the castle. “The staff know you’re with me, so don’t be afraid to ask them for anything. . . the bathrooms are always on the right side of the hallways. . . please don’t touch any of the paintings. . .” As she continued, Nayeon’s mind drifted off and soon they were in front of Princess Mina - well, their rooms. It was, as expected, extravagant as usual, and Mina lead Nayeon to a smaller room on the left.

It was extremely spacious, and in the closet were clothes that suspiciously looked like dresses, which Nayeon was thrilled about, not that she’d had many chances to wear one, but still. It was nice. Mina glanced around, telling Nayeon, “Your partner, Jeongyeon, when is she coming?” Nayeon responded, “Oh, about a week from now.” Jeongyeon had to pack up her belongings, apparently, or maybe she wanted to delay the inevitable change, which was understandable.

Mina nodded, then she told Nayeon, “Please feel free to join me for dinner in a while.” Nayeon nodded, bowed as she walked out, then sighed as the door closed. She flopped down on the bed, and looked at the ceiling. After a moment, she gathered herself and walked to Mina’s room.

Mina was sitting at a table near the bed, with a few chairs and a whole feast laid out in front of her, and Nayeon gaped at the delicious smell of - turkey?! In her haste, she forgot to look where she was going and tripped on a mixture of her unbalanced cape, her heavy shoes, and her helmet she was holding. 

Embarrassed, she hastily stood up, apologized, and without meaning to, she said, “This stupid outfit is unbelieveably ill-designed,” then realized she was in the presence of the princess. Before she could apologize, however, Mina laughed lightly, a lovely and soft giggle, and Nayeon felt a sudden urge to protect this penguin at any cost.

“Please, don’t be on edge when you’re with me,” Mina said. “I quite enjoy these sort of perspectives. If it is uncomfortable, I believe General Chou brought your regular uniform as well. You can go change now if you wish.” Nayeon’s eyes lighted up at the idea and she grinned.

A while later, they were eating dinner together, and Mina had explained to her that she had requested to have a private dinner with just them in case Nayeon was nervous or otherwise on guard the first couple of days.

Nayeon was actually quite extroverted, and would have liked a big dinner with staff, but she recognized the action for a kind amount of consideration from the Princess. Although she had talked much - or, an average amount - since Nayeon had met her, Nayeon could tell she was uncomfortable speaking so much. Therefore, she tried to do as much talking as she could without being rude. After telling her several facts about herself, she decided to talk about her fellow teammates. 

“My Jeongyeon-” she froze. She had meant to say ‘My best friend,’ or, ‘Jeongyeon,’ but had gotten them mixed up. “I MEAN - JEONGYEON!” Mina amusedly giggled as Nayeon felt an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. “My best friend, Jeongyeon,” - she slightly sighed, then continued - “She’s a bit snarky, and grouchy, but she’s fun, and I’m hopeful Princess Sana will like her.”

Mina nodded, then asked quietly, “Have you known her long?” Nayeon snorted. She looked at the Princess, who was amused and not offended, so she continued. “Since we were practically kids. We trained together for a long time, and then we met Jihyo, and after we figured out each other, our teamwork was flawless.”

It was undeniably true. They were recognized as the best military unit of Twiceland, and they held the title with honor.

“Jihyo, the leader of 3MIX, isn’t going to be here, but she’s still in the capital.” When the Princess looked slightly confused, Nayeon continued. “Guarding the General’s daughter, Tzuyu.” Mina gave a gummy smile. “Oh, I know her! She’s nice, a bit shy, but very pleasant.”

Nayeon supposed Mina must like Tzuyu because of their shared peaceful demeanor, and reminded herself to tell Jihyo this before she also moved.

The dinner proceeded well, Nayeon examining each food with a mixture of shock, awe, and exasperation, then changing to respect after she had tasted how delicious it was. (She suspected those small black things were ostrich eggs, and the fish with no head suspiciously looked liked a stingray, but she wasn’t about to bring that up.)

Mina explained gently that she had handmaidens that would attend to her needs like sorting her room, drawing her bath, and helping her with daily tasks like that. Nayeon’s job was to follow Mina around and to protect her, apparently. In the palace it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but she made a note to practice sparring regularly because the Princess would be going to public places also.

It was a simple job, really, and Nayeon had decided by the end of the dinner that the rumors about the Princess being a cold-hearted witch were all wrong. The King and Queen didn’t seem so bad either, and hopefully after Jeongyeon came the palace would get more lively. It seemed rather stifling here.

After dinner, Nayeon watched as Mina changed into her evening dress, read over some official reports (about rather nerdy things), then proceeded to do her nightly routine. When she was finished, Nayeon bid her goodnight. After returning to her room, she realized her helmet was still by the dining table where she left it earlier. She quietly opened the door and started creeping towards it.

Very quietly, she reached for the helmet, grabbed it, and started back. As she was passing by the Princess’ bed, she realized that the blanket wasn’t tucked in properly. After a heated internal debate, she sighed in defeat, and then walked over to Mina and pulled the blanket up, carefully tucking it in by her chin.

Nayeon smiled at Mina’s peaceful looking face and her ridiculously soft snores, then quickly walked to her room. As she laid in bed, trying to hound down sleep, her last thought was that perhaps this was going to be better than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome! Say hi to 3MIX as knights, Dahyun as a pianist, Sana and Mina as princesses, Tzuyu as the only rational one in the group, and Momo who really just wants an ice cream. 
> 
> Like it? Leave a comment. Hate it? Leave a comment. A mad Saida fan? Leave a comment!
> 
> Thank you for reading this story, buckle in! This is going to be a long ride :D 
> 
> Plz leave a kudos if you liked, let’s begin the journey!


	2. Dearest Nayeon

Chapter 2 - Dearest Nayeon

Jeongyeon scanned the rooms of her house, almost completely empty. She took the last box of stuff and carried it out to the carriage. She insisted that she drive it herself, and so she took one last look at her house. 

It was a nice little place, and her, Nayeon and Jihyo had spent many nights wasting time here together, but Jeongyeon wasn’t overly attached to it. She turned around, and got on the horse, and made her way to the other side of the capital. 

Twiceland was a smaller country, but they were powerful, and, evidenced by the very wealthy capital. She passed through all sorts of small shops selling trinkets to major businesses with dozens of people scattered around them. Many civilians waved at her, she was rather famous after all. (that, or the metal plates of full body armor and banner with the royal emblem on it notified people that she was in the military.)

Jeongyeon soon arrived at the royal estate, and made her way across the bridge, before stopping at the entrance of the castle. She could see many trees, and although they were dead at this time of mid-December, she could already tell that in the spring it would look extremely beautiful.

She took out some luggage, and proceeded to the front entrance where the guards took them, and started to walk inside when she was suddenly attacked by a warm blob. 

Jeongyeon realized in horror that this was, in fact, a human, and not any human; it was a small woman, a - wait a second was it - Sana giggled, then lifted her head up and greeted, “Hi Jeongyeon! I’m Sana!” Her voice was high and cheerful, and her eyes were sparkling. Jeongyeon resisted the urge to physically pry herself off of this girl - she was the princess after all. 

“Um! Hi, I’m. . . Jeongyeon,” Jeongyeon said lamely, realizing that the princess obviously knew this, but she was driven out of her thoughts by an arrogant snort. After turning her head to the right, she saw Princess Mina, and Jeongyeon immediately saluted and greeted, “Your Highness!” 

Although Sana was called a princess and she was the next in line for the throne after Mina, her rank was only technically a duchess and knights didn’t need to be formal to other members of upper class families. 

Standing next to her was a disapproving Nayeon. “SO you finally arrived, Jeong? Took you a while, I didn’t realize you had to pack so much since your house is so small.” Jeongyeon snarled playfully. “Listen here you rabbit -” she didn’t have time to continue, since the Princesses giggled. Sana looked at Jeongyeon, (still clinging onto her) and said, “You’re every bit as snarky as Nayeon said you would be!” 

Jeongyeon gaped in horror. Nayeon had been talking trash to the Princesses of the kingdom about her? Jeongyeon reached to knock the back of Nayeon’s head, and what followed was a hilarious (or at least for Mina and Sana) declaration of war.

After they regained their composure, Jeongyeon coughed. Nayeon stuck her tongue out at her, and then said, “Princess Mina has important matters to attend to. Good day to you, Sana.” She walked away, Jeongyeon sighing in annoyance at her. She quickly turned her attention back to Sana. 

“My deepest apologies, Princess.” Sana giggled again and took Jeongyeon’s hand and dragged her to who knows where. “Please, no need to be so formal! Just call me Sana!” she said sweetly, laughing as she almost tripped clumsily a few times. In fact, she almost tipped over a vase that Jeongyeon was sure would have bankrupted an entire town, had she not caught it in time. 

Jeongyeon decided right then that Sana was a complete and utter klutz. Not in a bad way or anything, but definitely something to be watchful of. She turned her attention to what Sana was saying. “-And every Friday we have such a nice evening, there’s tea, and the whole staff are invited, and there’s dancing and music-” Jeongyeon nodded along, trying not to get confused.

Sana giggled again. “Oh, but I bet you’re overwhelmed,” she said while weaving through a hallway, passing by a poor waiter, “please know that the staff are here to help,” Jeongyeon caught a glass sculpture when Sana knocked it over, “and you’ll be seeing lots of Mina, of course,” Sana continued, bumping into a wall. “-And now here we are!” Sana said, slightly out of breath.

“This is my room, it’s very lovely, and you can see our beautiful gardens outside,” Sana said. She gestured to a door. “That’s your room. Of course, tell me if you need anything.” Jeongyeon was overwhelmed with all of this new information, so when Sana finally sat down on an elaborate wooden chair, Jeongyeon got the chance to really look at her.

She had caramel hair that flowed loosely beyond her shoulders, and warm brown eyes. She was still smiling now, even when there was really nothing all that special going on, and had a pretty summer dress on (even in the midst of winter). Jeongyeon realized Sana was the type of person to make friends easily, and with anyone. 

Sana stood up, looking outside. “Winter is such a sad time,” she mused. “Oh well. Please, get settled down, and meet the staff, they’re all very charming people.” Jeongyeon nodded. The rest of the evening was uneventful, and she took Sana’s advice and introduced herself to the staff. Or, at least, tried to.

She started with leaving Sana’s room, when Sana was giggling at a book she was reading. Jeongyeon stood outside Sana's door. She quickly realized she had no idea where to go. She turned left first, and then took two rights. . . or was it three rights? Wait, hadn’t she seen this painting before? She turned around, scrutinizing the hallway. It was useless! All of the hallways looked the same! She was about to panic when an amused voice behind her snapped her out of it. 

“You’re lost.” Jeongyeon turned around, glaring at Nayeon. “No! I was just going to the, uh, bathroom.” she retorted. Nayeon snickered. “The bathrooms are on the other side of the castle.” Jeongyeon blinked a few times, before finally sighing in defeat and walking with Nayeon.

“Where are we going?” Nayeon asked. “The staff kitchens,” Jeongyeon replied. Nayeon adjusted their path accordingly, and Jeongyeon asked, “How’s Princess Mina?” Nayeon smiled. “Good. She’s actually a lot nicer than you’d expect. What about you?” 

Jeongyeon thought about how happy-go-lucky Sana was, the dozens of hugs she had received in the afternoon already, and her cute girlish voice. She sighed in part exasperation. “Fine.”

“Oh yeah, remind me to tell Jihyo later, apparently Tzuyu’s very shy. Her and Mina are friends,” she explained."You know how bold Jihyo can be sometimes." After that, it was a quiet trip to the kitchens. Soon enough, they were at the kitchen’s door, and Nayeon knocked on it. After the door was swung open, it revealed quite a scene.

The kitchen itself was warm, cozy, and had an homey air around it that instantly put the two at ease. However, the people in it. . . for one, there was a large can of soup that was spilling on the counter and floor, with no more than five people gathered around it, who Jeongyeon gathered were the chefs. 

The girl who had opened the door had abnormally pale skin, and unlike the others in the kitchen, was not wearing an apron or a chef’s hat. However, as soon as she opened the door, everyone looked up at the intruders and froze. 

Nayeon held back a laugh at the scene (barely), and quickly walked over to help. Looking around for towels and seeing that all of them were already used to try to dry up the soup, Nayeon quickly took off the banner on her chest plate and used it to soak up soup. The head cook (Jeongyeon presumed) stared on with horror at the sight.

Jeongyeon quickly did the same thing, and soon enough the soup all but vanished. The kitchen staff all blinked rapidly before staring up at the two knights. Suddenly, a loud laugh came from the door, and as everyone turned to look for the source of the noise. 

The pale girl was clutching her stomach, laughing at the group. After a couple of seconds, she gasped an apology. “Sorry, it’s just - so ridiculous -” Nayeon looked to the kitchen staff, who looked like deers in headlights, and back to herself and Jeongyeon, with the pot of soup in front of them, and a laugh started bubbling out of her throat, and before she knew it, the whole kitchen was laughing along.

After regaining some composure, Nayeon and Jeongyeon saluted. “Nayeon and Jeongyeon of 3MIX reporting!” Nayeon barked out, and they bowed, before more casually greeting the kitchen staff. “We’re the knights assigned to the Princesses,” Jeongyeon said, and the head chef from before stepped forward. 

“I’m so sorry you had to see that, our new recruits are having some - issues - but it’s all fixed now, no damage done.” It was a woman about early thirties. “My name is Irene,” she said, explaining that she was the head cook, and then proceeded to introduce the kitchen staff. The kitchen was connected to the other staff room, where all the waiters, guards, handmaidens, and such were. Soon the door opened and several faces peeked inside.

Nayeon and Jeongyeon greeted them too, saluting and bowing, and they soon left after they were sure that everything was alright. Irene continued. “It’s nice of you to greet us,” she said. “Unfortunately we’re very busy with preparing tomorrow’s breakfast,” she apologized.

Jeongyeon nodded. “Of course. It was nice meeting you all.” As they were walking out, the pale girl bowed. “I’m Dahyun!” she said. “But you can call me Dubu.” Nayeon smiled. “What do you do?” she asked. Dahyun grinned. “I’m the court pianist!” Jeongyeon nodded. “Wow, you must be very good,” she stated. 

Dahyun looked at Jeongyeon. “Sir Jeongyeon, you’re Princess Sana’s bodyguard, right?” After she nodded, Dahyun shyly gave her a large envelope. “Would you please take this to her?” Jeongyeon held the package, surmising that it was a stack of paper. “Of course.” As the two left, they waved to Dahyun. 

As Nayeon and Jeongyeon were walking back, Nayeon said, “She seems like a nice girl.” Jeongyeon agreed. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the capital. . . 

Jihyo stood boldly at General Chou’s estate. He was gone on a business trip, and had instructed Jihyo to start earlier than she had planned. The estate was quiet, in contrast to the palace’s loud and bustling nature.

The estate was old, in a mysterious and forgotten type of way. On the walls of the mansion were dead flowers that crept halfway up before giving out. Around the mansion stood some trees that seemed to shelter the mansion from the world. It was like a magical spell, shielding the mansion from the rest of the world. As if anything she did here was part of a dream and wouldn’t have any consequences.

As she walked towards the mansion, there was a sort of solemn air around the place, a gray haze that was amplified by the light blue sky that seemed to compliment the dark gray bricks well. It was eerily silent, which made sense. Wildlife didn’t live here - perhaps they sensed the beginnings of dangerous territory. It was a ten minute horse ride to the rest of the city, which blocked out almost all of the noise from the capital, too. 

She knew not a lot of people were in the estate, around a dozen at most. That may sound like a lot, but it actually wasn’t, especially with the large size of the mansion. She was pretty sure there were 4 guards, two at the front and back doors, and two others patrolling the estate. There were two cooks, a head cook and an apprentice. Then the stableboy, a handmaiden for Tzuyu, and two other cleaning servants.

And of course, now Jihyo. She knocked on the almond door and the stableboy opened it. “Please come in, Sir Jihyo,” he greeted. He seemed a bit in awe. Jihyo nodded and walked inside. “Miss Tzuyu is in her room. Would you like me to take you to her?” 

Jihyo stood in front of Tzuyu’s room, feeling oddly anxious. She knocked on the door, and when she received no reply, she called out, “Miss Tzuyu?” when there was still no reply, she opened the door and was completely confused with the sight in front of her.

The girl, who she assumed was Tzuyu, was upside down from the ceiling. And, goodness, books were scattered all over the floor, and - quickly Jihyo realized that Tzuyu had gotten herself in the attic, somehow, and was now trying to get down. After staring at her, dumbfounded, she was snapped into action.

“Help,” Tzuyu said, strained, quietly. Jihyo immediately stood under her, arms outstretched. “Let go!” She demanded. Tzuyu looked panicked. “Let go!” Jihyo repeated. After a moment of tense silence, Tzuyu collapsed on Jihyo, but thankfully both of them survived. Barely, but they survived. Jihyo quickly pulled Tzuyu up. “Are you alright?!” she asked, concerned. Tzuyu nodded. 

After making sure Tzuyu was safe, she glared up at the attic, jaw dropping. “Miss Tzuyu. . . the. . . ladder. . .” Tzuyu paled. “What?” she asked, shocked. Jihyo turned her head to face Tzuyu. “Why didn’t you pull out the ladder?” 

Tzuyu groaned. “Sana, there was a ladder!” Sana burst out into giggly laughter. It was a few days after ‘The Incident,’ she called it, and Tzuyu was meeting with the princesses for their annual tea chat in the palace. Tzuyu flushed dark red. Mina patted her consolingly. “I’m sure Sir Jihyo understands,” she tried to reason. Tzuyu averted her gaze, looking at the floor, and mumbled, “I’m sure she never met someone that couldn’t see a ladder, got stuck upside down, and then collapsed on them before she even introduced herself before,” she whined quietly, and Sana just giggled again.

After a lot of comforting, Tzuyu felt better, and suddenly Sana almost dropped her teacup. She set it down, a horrified look on her face as she stared at Tzuyu, petrified realization plastered all over her face. “W-wait, if you didn’t use the ladder to get up to the attic then how - how -” 

After a pause of stunned silence, Tzuyu buried her hands in her face. “I climbed the bookshelf,” she admitted. There was an entire minute of stunned silence this time, and finally Sana started laughing, clutching her stomach to breathe, and Mina laughed too, and Tzuyu felt fully betrayed. “Mina!” Tzuyu protested, and Mina apologized. “Sorry, Tzuyu, it’s just-” the mental image of Tzuyu attempting to climb a bookshelf in the middle of her room sent her laughing again, and Tzuyu was so embarrassed she sipped her tea angrily.

“And you know what I saw? A ladder!” Jihyo exclaimed. Every so often, 3MIX would have a meeting together in a cafe. It was called Tdoong Cafe, and there they served - tea. It seemed to be the only thing medieval people drank. They had many fond memories here, sharing their new experiences or talking about old ones.

Jihyo had been telling them about, ‘The Incident,’ and at this point Nayeon and Jeongyeon were rolling around the floor with laughter. The rest of the people in the cafe looked at them strangely.

For at least five whole minutes Nayeon and Jeongyeon couldn’t stop laughing about the whole situation, and Jihyo was getting tired of it. “The poor girl, it looked like she was about to die of embarrassment on the spot,” she told them. Nayeon laughed. Jihyo waved her hand around. “It’s been pretty awkward, to tell you the truth. But anyway, anything happen in the royal palace?” she asked curiously.

Jeongyeon laughed. “Wait until you hear this,” she said. “Er, actually, this is confidential information. We might want to go somewhere else.” Nayeon squinted. “Is this what I think this is?” she asked. Jeongyeon ignored her and they walked outside, riding on their horses to a lonely field behind an abandoned farm. It was their secret ‘hangout’ location, Jeongyeon insisted. 

Jeongyeon snickered. “It looks like Mina’s going to have to carry the royal bloodline,” she said. Jihyo gaped. “What?” she asked, always ready for rumors. Jeongyeon told them what had happened.

A FEW DAYS AGO. . . 

Jeongyeon held the envelope in her hand and knocked on Princess Sana’s door, and then entered. Sana smiled at Jeongyeon, putting down her book. “Ah, so you met the servants!” she said. “That’s lovely,” she told Jeongyeon, and she nodded back before placing the envelope on the table next to Sana. 

“The court pianist told me to give you that,” Jeongyeon said. Sana’s eyes lit up. As soon as Jeongyeon said that her whole face brightened and she eagerly snatched the letter, grinning. “Really?” Sana asked. Jeongyeon nodded, slightly suspicious. “Dahyun, she seems nice,” Jeongyeon said, un-suspiciously going to her closet to retrieve another banner for her armor. When she returned, Sana was brightly smiling at the papers inside.

As inconspicuously as she could, Jeongyeon asked, “What’s that?” Sana didn’t take her eyes off the paper, answering, “A summary of the life of Chopin!” Jeongyeon blinked. Waited a while. Finally, Sana looked up from the paper, eyes meeting Jeongyeon’s. She grinned happily as Jeongyeon’s intuition was proven. 

“I have no idea what its talking about!” Sana nodded enthusiastically as she kept reading. “Oh! I know this - oh wait, nevermind.” After a few minutes, Sana put the paper down. “It’s talking about a lot of complicated music theory. . . I don’t understand it. . . but it’s okay!” 

Sana gazed woefully out of the window, and sighed pitifully. Jeongyeon had a brilliant idea. “If you want to write something to her, I can bring it to her,” she suggested. Sana immediately perked up. “You will? Oh, thank you so much, you’re a sweetheart!” Sana said, excitedly hugging Jeongyeon. “I’ll go right now to write it!” she squealed. 

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Nayeon sighed, annoyed. “Okay, and? This literally proves nothing, it’s just friendly -” Jihyo quickly interrupted her. “Don’t even finish that sentence, Nayeon. Isn’t it obvious?! That’s total girlfriend behavior.” Jeongyeon nodded. “I’ll keep you guys updated!” she promised. Nayeon scoffed. “I’m still not convinced,” she declared. “I’ll tell you guys what I found, though. . .” she stared Jeongyeon in the eye. “I’m pretty convinced if what you told me is true, the entire royal bloodline is doomed.” Jeongyeon’s jaw dropped. 

ALSO A FEW DAYS AGO. . . 

Mina was diligently writing a letter, one of the many things she did in her free time. Nayeon was occupying herself by reading one of the books from the royal library - about sword fighting, of course. She hummed interestingly at a good tip she read. She turned her attention to Mina when she spoke.

After the initial phase, and they had gotten more comfortable with each other, Mina rarely spoke, so when she said, “Nayeon, will you post this letter, please?” Nayeon had quickly complied. 

She was standing in front of the castle, letter in hand, when the cold winter wind had blown the ribbon off. Panicked, she managed to retrieve it, and quickly tried to roll up the letter, but a line caught her eye.

‘- P.S. Dearest Chaeyoung, of course I am looking forward to your next artwork, they are all so beautiful. Love, Mina.’ 

Shocked, Nayeon quickly averted her gaze, slamming the letter shut and aggressively tying the ribbon back on before gulping loudly. She quickly threw the letter in the post box and apologized mentally to whatever gods she was sure she had just offended. 

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Jihyo gasped. “WHAT THE FU-” Jeongyeon interrupted. “Well, technically that also could be just friendly!” she insisted. Nayeon was offended. “Just because I have more gossip than you doesn’t mean you should be jealou-” Jeongyeon shook her head. “It could totally be platonic!” she said, voice raising. 

Jihyo snickered. “So, Jeongyeon, you mean to say you would write a letter to Nayeon that goes like ‘Dearest Nayeon, of course I am looking forward to seeing you again, you’re always so beautiful.. Love, Jeongyeon.’?” she teased. 

Jeongyeon blushed lightly while Nayeon flushed dark red. “W-Well, maybe not, but-” 

Jihyo’s laugh after that was enough to keep them all warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm posting Twice artworks on tumblr so go check that out @piano-king. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't expect more updates this fast, I have school D: 
> 
> Bombard me with any questions/comments/concerns. Do NOT ask for my height. Have a great day!


	3. Busy Lives of Pre-New Year Ball Attendees

Chapter 3 - Busy Lives of Pre-New Year Ball Attendees

They were back at Tdoong Cafe, all not wanting to leave each other’s company. Nayeon discussed the next topic. “It’s going to be New Year’s soon,” Nayeon said. Jeongyeon nodded. “Apparently there’s going to be a big celebration at the palace.” Jihyo huffed. “Of course General Chou’s going to go. More work for us,” she sighed.

Nayeon nodded. There were going to be a lot of people, and while security was going to be tight, it was going to fall on their shoulders to watch over their respective protectees. As they sat quietly, sipping tea and watching the pedestrians outside, Jihyo suggested, “How about we have our own New Year’s celebration? Maybe on the first weekend in January?” Nayeon nodded, grinning.

“That’ll be fun!” Nayeon agreed. Jeongyeon reluctantly helped set up the date and time, and soon they had to leave. Jihyo hopped on her horse and made her way towards the Chou estate while Jeongyeon and Nayeon started their journey back to the castle.

Jeongyeon glanced at Nayeon. They were walking side by side, since the castle wasn’t that far away, and she studied Nayeon. Their three outfits before this change were always the same - the silver heavy armor that clanked while they walked. However, now Nayeon was the only one still wearing it daily.

On special events, like the new Year’s ball, they would still wear that heavy armor - it was practical and extremely good defensively, but for Jeongyeon and Jihyo, the defensive prowess wasn’t enough initiative to wearing that all day every day, and since they weren’t guarding the future heir of the kingdom, they were allowed to wear other outfits.

Jeongyeon wore a royal guard uniform - a fancier version of what the guards in the castle wore. Since the military colors were dark blue and gold, and 3MIX emblems were in red, it made for a nice match, along with her white boots. Jihyo wore the lightest defensive outfit of them all, but that had it’s advantages too; it was extremely quiet and allowed for faster movement.

But beyond that, Jeongyeon really looked at Nayeon. Her brown hair flowed gently through the wind, bunny teeth showing. She always joked about how pretty she was, and while Jeongyeon always backed her off annoyedly, she took a deep breath, heart erratically pounding.

She stumbled a few times, both physically and metaphorically. “N-Nayeon,” she started, and suddenly Nayeon looked at her and Jeongyeon couldn’t breathe and it was like they were meeting all over again, the childish clumsiness, the carefree loneliness, the endless days and nights lazily doing nothing besides exist together and it propelled Jeongyeon forward, a show of bravery that might seem small but was in fact incredible.

“I do.” Jeongyeon said, not unsure anymore. She stared straight ahead, but she could still see Nayeon’s confused gaze. She stopped walking and Nayeon stopped too, the two of them standing on the sidewalk. “I do think you’re beautiful,” she confessed, looking at Nayeon, who immediately blushed. Nayeon quickly looked down, and covered her mouth, and after a while, when she looked up at Jeongyeon again, she had the wind knocked out of her breath. (Again.)

Nayeon’s face was flushed, and she hit Jeongyeon on the shoulder, and then wrapped her arm around Jeongyeon and snuggled her face into her side. Jeongyeon laughed lightly and that’s how they walked back.

Jihyo quickly returned to the Chou estate, and went inside to find Tzuyu’s room. She knocked again, quietly praying that Tzuyu didn’t do anything crazy again, and her fears were calmed when Tzuyu was busy reading a book in a chair.

Tzuyu greeted Jihyo. “Sir Jihyo, please, uh, sit down.” Jihyo nodded. “You weren’t here this morning, and it was my day off, so I met with Nayeon and Jeongyeon in the city,” she said, pouring Tzuyu some tea.

Tzuyu blushed. “Ah, sorry. I should’ve told you, I was going to meet with the princesses.” She took the tea thankfully, and Jihyo replied, “No, it was no problem.” Jihyo smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be back in a minute. Do you want another book?” she asked, noticing that Tzuyu was almost finished with the one she was reading. Tzuyu nodded. “Please.”

Tzuyu’s perspective:

From the front window, she could see Jihyo on her horse, entering the house. A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Tzuyu quickly glanced around her room. She wasn’t doing anything embarrassing, and her room was clean. “Come in,” she called nervously.  
Jihyo’s eyes were burning into her soul, it seemed like, and Tzuyu quickly tried to appeal to the scary outsider. “Sir Jihyo, please, uh, sit down,” she squealed. Even her nodding was scary. She started pouring tea, and Tzuyu wondered briefly if she had poisoned it - what? Did she ask her a question? 

Tzuyu blushed. Of course - the tea party with the princesses. She apologized and took the tea, and Jihyo - smiled?! “No, it was no problem. Just know that next time you leave without permission you will be persecuted by the city guards.” Jihyo smiled threateningly. “I’ll be back in a minute. Do you want another book?”

Tzuyu flinched. She was reading a romantic book - perhaps she should read more nonfiction books in future. “Please,” she whispered hoarsely. After she left, Tzuyu blinked a couple of times. This was going to be a long day.

AT THE PALACE . . .

Dahyun was sitting at the piano, warming up. After playing three octave Major scales, then playing some hanon exercises, she pulled out her pieces. She had been preparing for the New Year’s Ball for a few months now - some Chopin pieces that were bound to impress.

The first one, Etude Op. 10 No. 1, otherwise known as Waterfall, was’t too hard. Of course the technical arpeggios were slightly difficult, but it wasn’t like Liszt. She shuddered thinking about it, then ran through the piece. 

The piano’s tone was bright, and the touch was slightly heavier than the piano she would be using at the ball, but she managed to get through the entire piece without too many mistakes.

The room she was in was especially reserved for her, there were usually two pianos here, but the second one, which she used for performances, had been taken to get tuned before the ball. Large windows filled the room with light, but the glass seemed foggy, and even in the wintertime the room had that sort of golden warmness you would usually only find in summer.

There were no lights beside natural light, and on cloudy days Dahyun had to bring a candle on the piano. The walls were a yellow-ish brown, and bookshelves littered the room, filled with all sorts of books but mainly biographies about composers and sheet music.

The next piece was Liszt’s Un Sospiro, and on his scale of difficultly it was on the easier side. Which meant it was nearly unplayable.

Well, she was exaggerating a bit. It wasn’t that difficult, but the right and left hand swapping took a lot of energy and repetition, so she wasn’t too thrilled about that. However, she had high hopes after she could get the phrasing correct. She ran through that once, pausing at areas she thought needed more work. After playing it a few more times, she moved on to her last new piece she was learning.

Liszt - Transcendental Etude No. 4 - Mazeppa. As she was gathering the many pieces of sheet music, she cursed Liszt and his difficult pieces. “Stupid tenths,” she muttered. “And why did Liszt have to make it so fast?!” After gathering her thoughts, she lifted her hands high and SLAM - burst out into song.

Mazeppa was like liquid fire, a fast-paced adventure of energy and franticness. Dahyun expressed that in her playing, hands jumping around faster than what should be possibly human. She flawlessly pressed through the piece, and when the eighth notes section came in two four time, she took a millisecond to recollect herself and then hit every one with astounding clarity.

Before she knew it, the piece was already finished, and she nodded in approval. ‘Take that, Liszt,’ she thought. However, applause from the door drew her back into reality.

Sana stood there, an awed look on her face. “Wow Dahyunnie!” Sana called, quickly dashing over to embrace Dahyun in a hug. “That was so good!” Dahyun blushed from the praise and quickly unraveled herself from Sana. “Thanks,” she mumbled. Sana giggled and played with Dahyun’s hair, leading them to the only couch in the room.

After they sat down, Sana put her head in Dahyun’s lap, smiling at the younger girl. Dahyun blushed. “P-Princess. . .” she lightly protested. Sana ignored her and said, “We hardly spend any time together,” sadly. Dahyun frowned at Sana’s upset gaze.

“Sorry. . . I’ve just been busy practicing for New Year’s.” She smiled at Sana. “After the ball, I’ll take you somewhere nice. Just the two of us.” Sana smiled brightly, feeling instantly cheered. “Okay Dubu!” she replied dreamily. Dahyun smiled at her. “You better go, they’ll be missing you.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Sana’s cheek. She waved goodbye to her, and Dahyun felt butterflies in her stomach. After Sana left, leaving a summer breeze in her absence, Dahyun looked outside longingly.

DOWNSTAIRS. . .

Irene felt butterflies in her stomach. More accurately, she felt like she was going to chuck an iron pot halfway across the room. “Wendy, you did what?!” Wendy flushed from embarrassment. “Seulgi didn’t tell me we switched the salt and sugar containers,” she protested. Seulgi meekly nodded an apology. Irene facepalmed.

“I don’t care whose fault it is - the fact of it is we now have this monstrosity,” she said, gesturing to the cake. It was a three-layered white and red cake, and it was SALTY. “-And with the New Year in 10 days, we now have to get all the ingredients from halfway across the country here in a week.”

After more mumbled apologies, Irene shook her head. “Just be more careful in future!” she quipped. “Start the mixture again - Joy, where is that child Yeri? Get her and start making the potato stew,” Irene commanded, then stepped to the connecting room where the rest of the staff was. Unfortunately, they were having a worse time than Irene.

“HEY! Who has the banners we ordered?!” A blond boy called. “Ryujin! Where are the decorations for the dining room?” Ryujin shook her head, nervously responding, “I gave them to Yuna to put up!” Yuna turned around. “Oh no - I left them on the balcony!” A black haired tall boy spoke up. “BamBam cleaned the balcony this morning!” he cried, horrified. “Lisa!” A brown-haired girl on the verge of tears called - “You cleaned the ballroom today, right?” After Lisa heard the question, she replied, “No, I couldn’t - Wonwoo had to rearrange the furniture!”

Irene stood there, petrified. Jisoo, the head manager of staff quietly crept next to her. “Repeat after me: I’ve got this under control.” Irene blinked, and replied, “You’ve got this under control.” Jisoo continued. “Forget this ever happened,” Jisoo whispered. “Walk away.” Irene opened the door back, and slammed it.

She took a deep breath, looking at Wendy and Seulgi who had somehow, SWAPPED THE SALT AND SUGAR. AGAIN. She smiled. “This is fine.” She whispered.

2 DAYS BEFORE THE BALL

Jisoo had dealt with three mental breakdowns from her staff from this morning alone. She sighed in frustration as she corrected the banners that had finally been recovered. (BamBam had put them in the storage room, which had then been blocked off unknowingly by Mark, and finally Ryujin nabbed them in the nick of time, and now Jisoo was putting them up.)

After this ball, she grumbled, she was going on a vacation.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Tzuyu was back at the palace with the princesses, and they were talking while chatting over tea, again. They were in Princess Sana’s room, sitting with the windows open. “It’s hard to believe that a year has passed so quickly,” Mina said elegantly, pouring tea into their cups. Tzuyu nodded. “It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the last new year,” Sana laughed.

Outside of the room, 3MIX were together. Jeongyeon glared triumphantly as she pulled out a plus four card. “Take that, Nayeon!” she whispered aggressively. Nayeon hissed in retaliation - “This is the end of our friendship!” And Jihyo watched amusedly as the two bickered. While they were busy, she put down her cards in the order of: Wild, change it to blue, blue reverse, and then she whispered ‘uno,’ before putting down her last card, a blue 7.

Her victory wasn’t noticed until Nayeon finally glanced over to Jihyo. She looked at her, than the pile of cards several times before she finally got the memo. Jeongyeon quickly realized what had happened, and (after scrambling through the last five cards to make sure the win was legitimate) Nayeon snapped her knuckles, face blank. Jeongyeon followed, calmly and quietly returning the cards to shuffle again. After this continued for a minute of silence, Jihyo nervously asked, “Uh, guys?”

When there was no response, she tried again. “Guys!” After getting desperate, she bit down her pride. “I’m sorry everyone, let’s just take a moment and-” Jeongyeon slammed the card deck on the table, while Nayeon, with her poker face on, started to hand out the cards. After shoving Jihyo’s cards in her face, Jihyo squeaked, “-a moment and try to calm down!”

Before 2yeon could enact their revenge, however, a loud noise from the end of the hallway drew their attention. They quickly saw the source, and ran there, swords drawn. An intruder, it seemed, had broken through and got into the palace, somehow. He looked like a homeless man, with a olive green coat that was shredded, an uncombed head and dirty shoes. Nayeon called to him. “Drop your weapon, raise your arms and put them on your head!” Jeongyeon motioned to Jihyo, and she nodded.

Jihyo hurried back in front of the room, and after checking that there was no one in the hallway, she knocked on the door. After Sana responded, “Come in!” Jihyo quickly secured the room, and closed the window, then stood in front of the confused trio, facing the door. “My apologies,” Jihyo said, abruptly. “There has been an intruder and while it does not look serious, I must be present. Jeongyeon and Nayeon are dealing with the issue now.”

Mina worriedly looked at the others, who were worried. “Will they be alright?” Jihyo shook her head. “My job is to protect you three,” she replied, eyes scanning the room to make sure it was secure. She was sure the royals were shocked, but she had more pressing matters.

Outside, the clashing of metal on metal could be heard. Nayeon was engaged in battle with the intruder. “Put down your weapon or I will have no choice but retaliation.” Nayeon said loudly, but calmly. The intruder’s moves were extremely fine, and his technique was nearly flawless. He stepped quickly and sharply, not wasting an inch of space or a second of time.

Jeongyeon had evacuated the surrounding area, and finally came back. “She gave you a warning already, trespasser!” Jeongyeon yelled. She effortlessly joined in the battle, years of training with Nayeon letting them move in perfect sync. Now that Jeongyeon had joined, and Nayeon was pressing the attack, the intruder was having a hard time defending.

Nayeon parried two of his attacks, then stepped forward quickly and initiated her own attacks. After dodging a narrow strike, she spun to the left, leaving an open space for Jeongyeon to place the last blow.

Jeongyeon saw it vividly - the space between the left side of his ribs, and she swung at it, causing the intruder to fall down swiftly, yelling curses as he fell. Jeongyeon quickly yelled for backup. “Get the prison guards over here!” she demanded. Nayeon stared at the intruder emotionlessly. Jeongyeon quickly walked over to her, placing a hand on her forehead. “Nabongs, you okay?” she asked gently.

Nayeon blushed a little bit, nodding. Jeongyeon furrowed her eyebrows. “Are you sure? You look a little red.” Nayeon coughed, stepping away from Jeongyeon. “I’m fine.”

The prison guards arrived, and Jeongyeon explained the situation. “We’ll guard the royals, I want every guard searching and patrolling the palace to see if he had accomplices.” Jeongyeon ordered. “The Princesses and Miss Tzuyu are in Princess Sana’s room. Notify the Queen and King and place guards with them. Take this rat to the prison and start interrogating him.” 

Jeongyeon gestured to Nayeon, and they made their way to Princess Sana’s room. Jeongyeon opened the door, nodding to Jihyo. “The intruder’s been arrested. My sincere apologies, Princesses. We’re now evacuating the staff, and the guards are with your parents,” Jeongyeon told Mina. They breathed a sigh of relief, and Mina thanked her.

“Any idea who he was?” Jihyo asked. Nayeon frowned. “His technique was. . . frightening good. I felt like I had seen his footwork before, but I’m not sure where. . .” There was silence for a moment, then Jeongyeon asked, “It almost seemed like the military training from Atmiser,” she breathed. Jihyo sucked in a deep breath.  
“We shouldn’t jump to assumptions, but something like that could lead to. . .” she couldn’t say it, but everyone in the room knew the sentenced ended with ‘an all out war.’ Jihyo shook her head, trying to clear the dark tension in the room. “Please, don’t worry too much. This is a matter that will be handled accordingly.” she told the three, still sitting at the table.

DOWNSTAIRS. . .

The staff were gathered in the kitchen, after the guards had told them to stay in and locked the doors. Lisa gasped dramatically. “What if upstairs got flooded?!” Immediately she was bombarded with exasperated comebacks. Jackson waved his hands dramatically and pretended to faint on JB. “HOW COULD THE UPSTAIRS FLOOD BUT NOT DOWNSTAIRS?!” Jennie yelled. Joy then slammed her hand on the counter loudly. “WE LIVE IN A LANDLOCKED COUNTY!” she roared. Lisa sheepishly apologized. “My bad, my bad,” she said, embarrassed.

Irene wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Her and Jisoo were huddled in a corner, and Irene said, “What are we going to do now? Before this we were struggling with time, now we’ll lose the entire morning, and the ball starts at 6 tonight,” she whispered aggressively. Jisoo shook her head. “I don’t know.” she replied honestly.

Lisa gasped again. “What if - hear me out - they’re hanging up a top secret picture?” This time even the peaceful members from before were over it. “Why would they publicly display a ‘top secret’ artwork?!” Yubin retorted loudly. “YOU MEAN TO SUGGEST THEY LOCKED US IN HERE AND STOPPED WORK THE DAY BEFORE THE BIGGEST EVENT IN THE YEAR TO HANG UP A PORTRAIT?!” Kai screamed. Sunmi grabbed oven mitts and covered her ears from the loud noises.

Jisoo turned back to Irene, coughing while ignoring the yelling from the rest of the staff. “. . . Anyways. I’m friends with Duke Suho’s head maid, I’m sure his staff can lend us a hand, they know how important the ball is.” Irene’s eyes widened, already feeling more at ease. “He has over 30 servants, right?” After confirmation from Jisoo, Irene breathed a sigh of relief. If they all worked hard, especially with the Duke’s staff, they could pull through.

Lisa finally got everyone’s attention again, including Jisoo and Irene, since they finished talking. She starts with “Listen! I bet they’re holding a horse racing competition upstai-” before she has a chance to finish, Ryujin, Sunmi, and Lia throw crumpled paper balls at Lisa. The rest of the staff booed her. As Irene watched the spectacle unfold, she whispered to Jisoo, “How could they even get horses inside the doors?” angrily. Jisoo shook her head, putting a hand on her forehead. “Pretend you never saw this,” she groaned.

Bonus: As Jihyo and Tzuyu were leaving, Nayeon stood besides Jeongyeon and whispered to her. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that +4!” She told her. The princesses behind them giggled at their childishness. “Don’t kid yourself, you were about to lose anyway.” Ignoring Nayeon’s protests, waving to Jihyo and Tzuyu, and hearing the princesses laugh more, Jeongyeon thought that she might be able to get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up guys?? Hope you enjoyed the early update, next chapter will be dropping next tuesday/wednesday. Leave a kudos if you liked, Leave one if you didn’t. Comments, bookmarks all appreciated.
> 
> If u want to see this fic’s fanart, go to my tumblr @piano-king! Hope you had a great day :D


	4. Happy New Year Part 1

Chapter 4 - Happy New Year Part 1

Irene and Jisoo managed to convince Duke Suho’s staff to come, and with their help, they managed to set everything up for the ball. Somehow, miraculously, at 5:30 they stood in front of the fully-organized ballroom, a sense of accomplishment deep in their bones. It wasn’t over yet, though. They both knew that the kitchen staff and the waiters had to bring in food, and staff had to be on duty for the entire night.

However, they high-fived each other, and told their workers to take a breather before going out with the food they had prepared.

Dahyun ran through finger exercises in the practice room. There was no point practicing her pieces now, but at least she could warm up. Afterwards, she rubbed her hands together. The worst way to start a performance was with cold hands. She stood up, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. After looking out the window for a minute, she went over the plan. She would be playing waltz music until later in the evening, where she would have her ‘concert’ of sorts, playing the three pieces she had prepared. She nodded to herself, feeling confident.

MEANWHILE. . .

“Is this really necessary?” Tzuyu complained quietly. Mina and Sana had insisted that Tzuyu wear a dress, which was in her opinion, ridiculous and unnecessary. “Can’t I just wear a suit like I always do?” Tzuyu asked. Sana immediately tsked. “How are you going to find a husband like that?” she asked indignantly.

She scoffed. “Why do I need a husband?” she asked half-heartedly. Sana ignored her and inspected her in the mirror. “See? You look so cute!” she complimented. Tzuyu looked at herself, squinting. She wore a pale blue dress made of silk, endorned with pearls on the side. Dark blue lace was tied around her waist, and Sana had somehow managed to convince her to wear a ridiculous looking feather hat and white dress shoes.

Tzuyu looked at Mina for emotional support, but she just shrugged apologetically. Tzuyu then turned to Nayeon and Jeongyeon, who were in the room also. Jeongyeon hurriedly avoided her gaze, while Nayeon managed a, “You look nice!” Tzuyu sighed again, then turned to leave. “I’ll go ahead and meet you guys there,” she said, leaving the room.

Jihyo was waiting outside, and she was swinging her sword around because she was bored, but she immediately stopped once hearing footsteps. She quickly put her sword back, embarrassed, and pretended like nothing happened, after turning around, she glanced up and Tzuyu, then glanced down. Then looked at Tzuyu’s face.

After a pause, Jihyo nodded. “You look very beautiful,” she said, then immediately punched herself mentally. Tzuyu blushed, murmuring a, “Thanks,” before Jihyo gathered the guts to try and salvage this situation. “This way,” Jihyo squeaked, still embarrassed, and led her towards the ballroom. In her head, told herself that under no circumstances were Nayeon and Jeongyeon going to know about this. No way. Jihyo ducked her head down, face still red, and waited until Tzuyu went inside before following her.

Sana nodded at Mina, who was equipped with a long black dress that somehow was sparkly. She wore long, thin gloves and was much less enthusiastic about this whole ordeal than Sana, who had tried on more than two dozen outfits yesterday. “See? It looks fantastic!” Sana reassured, spinning Mina around a few times. “Now go!” Sana pushed Mina out into the hallway, and Nayeon hurriedly followed.

Sana adjusted her dress (a summer themed dress, in the middle of January) and giggled. “This is going to be so fun!” she exclaimed, walking out. Jeongyeon muffled her snort. ‘Listening to Dahyun or actually participating in ball?’ she thought. She had half a mind to say it, but thankfully held herself back.

The ballroom was spacious, the high golden ceiling stretching on for what seemed like miles. There was a large dining table as well as a stage for the orchestral musicians and a large concert piano. Staff quickly walked around, serving everyone. It was dimly lit with many guests already there making small talk. 

Sana skipped in, and after seeing the piano was empty, wandered around to find Dahyun. She tackled her in a hug after seeing her with some orchestral musicians. “Dahyunnie!” she called happily, and Dahyun blushed in embarrassment. The other musicians lightly laughed, and Jeongyeon pretended not to see the whole affair to spare herself.

Meanwhile, Mina was busy talking to some politicians or businessmen or some other important people. Nayeon was besides her, scanning the room, locking eyes with Jeongyeon and giving her a slight smile. Everything looked alright so far, Jeongyeon thought, and while the intruder was at the back of everyone’s mind, they all reached an unspoken agreement to just enjoy the evening.

ACROSS THE CITY. . .

The man sat in his cell, quietly brooding. No light shone here in the depths of the prison except for the occasional torch in the hallway. He wore his old green cape that covered his head, preserving his identity. The man knocked on the metal bars that separated the two of them with his metal spear. “Scum like you get the punishment they deserve,” he yelled at him. The man stayed quiet, then said, “I want to speak with the prison manager.”

The guard scoffed, taunting the prisoner with his spear. “Like a dirtbag like you can demand anythi-” The prisoner’s eyes gleamed and he quickly grabbed the spear and turned it around, pointing it at the guard. He then grabbed the guard’s helmet and slammed his head against the bars. “I said,” he repeated, growling. “I want to speak with the prison manager.”

ACROSS ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY. . .

Chaeyoung yelped as her bike crashed into a tree. She quickly stood up and looked around. Gathering all of her art supplies and putting them back in the basket of the bike, she then brushed off dirt from her shorts. Wearing a black beret, a white t-shirt (or, at least the remains of one. It was stained with paint and was more of a gray, honestly.), and brown shorts that hung over her knees. 

Glaring at the tree, she picked up her bike and quickly started pedaling towards the palace again. Weaving in and out of the streets, she took shortcuts all through the city, but the bike was much slower than a horse, and the capital traffic was no joke. Including the size of the city, it would be a few hours before she could make it to the palace.

Not deterred, she continued pedaling, admiring the scenic view of the city. She could see on her left side a low forest, and the night sky that was beginning to set. On her right was the city - a comforting mess of bricks and cobblestones and carriages and shops that stretched for miles and miles and miles. She was biking on a bridge that was nearly empty, probably due to the fact that it was New Year’s Eve.

She took a deep breath and enjoyed the wind, then started pedalling again with renewed effort.

AT THE PALACE. . .

Dinner was just finishing up, and when the conversation died down, the King made a speech. Clinking his spoon on his glass (both which were more expensive that Jeongyeon’s yearly salary), he stood up. “Greetings, all! Welcome to the annual New Year’s Eve ball!” A light round of applause was the response. ‘He could say that yesterday was August 15th and they would still laugh and clap,’ Jeongyeon thought dryly.

Tuning out the voice of the king, she glanced around the room, ensuring it’s safety. She paused at a small table. Perhaps it had a hidden weapon inside. After staring at it for a few more seconds to make sure it was safe, she continued to her next target. Looking at a chair on the stage, she squinted. It looked normal, but she would keep a watchful eye on it. Before she could thoroughly examine the torch that had caught her eye, she felt a gaze on her.

Turning towards it quietly, Nayeon was watching her with an exasperated expression. Jeongyeon scoffed silently, partly in embarrassment and partly in indignation. Nayeon amusedly returned a curious gaze, and they were interrupted by the guests starting to leave the table. Jeongyeon realized that it must be time to start the waltzes and the after-dinner reception.

Quickly, she took her place several paces behind Sana, and stayed behind her while she talked to more boring people. A glance over her shoulder showed that Jihyo was standing at a corner of the room, Tzuyu talking with a potential marriage option, she guessed. Jeongyeon almost laughed at Jihyo. It was obvious during her and Tzuyu’s previous interactions that they were extremely awkward with each other. Glancing over at Nayeon and Princess Mina, they were also doing fine, probably going around the room.

Suddenly, a single piano note caught everyone’s attention. Sana’s girlfr - Dahyun. Dahyun was sitting at the piano, playing an A. Somehow, sometime while Jeongyeon wasn’t paying attention, the entire orchestra had filed on stage, along with the conductor. There were 21 musicians in the orchestra, along with Dahyun, obviously. They started tuning together.  
Reminding herself not to get distracted in the music, Jeongyeon double-checked the room before turning her attention back to the orchestra. Dahyun started with a gentle waltz, the orchestra gently joining in. Jeongyeon realized that this was the time for the guests to start dancing. After glancing around the room again, she seemed satisfied and took her place near the walls of the room, blending in. As the princesses started dancing - Mina with a foreign duke and Tzuyu with that respectable suitor from before - Nayeon and Jihyo stood beside Nayeon.

Nayeon spoke quietly. “Although this is stressful, things are running smoothly,” she said. Jeongyeon nodded, seeing Tzuyu laugh at a joke her suitor said. Jihyo scowled. “Smoothly,” she harked bitterly. Nayeon and Jeongyeon exchanged a look - what was with her today? - and turned their attention back to the dancing.  
“I wonder how the staff are doing now since they don’t have to work anymore.” The kitchens had been closed down, and the staff had been invited to go back downstairs whilst the officials upstairs were dancing. “Hopefully they weren’t too freaked out about this morning,” Nayeon said, referring to the intruder.

DOWNSTAIRS. . .

“WooOHoo! Party time!” Felix said, standing on a table. He was quickly dragged down by both Irene and Jisoo. “Not in here, it isn’t!” Jisoo scolded. “I know everyone’s tired, but you all have to clean up the kitchen first,” Irene said, and there was a grumble of displeasure before everyone started to clean, as instructed.

As Yeji was wiping the counters with a towel, she told Chaeryeong, “After this, we should invite all the staff out to eat. There’s a new tea place down the corner, and I think it’ll help with everyone’s mood.” Chaeryeong nodded. “I do have some money left over, so I guess we can split it.”

After hyping themselves up about the idea, they couldn’t resist and blabbed it out so everyone knew. Several excited cheers rang from the room, but were quickly silenced by Irene. “Work first!” she snapped, rubbing the dish that she was holding with fury.

Everyone quickly turned back to their work, enthusiastically doing it. However, their peace was quickly interrupted. . .

“I think I know what the interruption was this morning! It had to have been that one of the princesses was caught during an affair-” 

“LISA, NO!”

UPSTAIRS. . .

The dancing had gone on for some time now, and it slowly died down. Jeongyeon was confused, and Nayeon caught it. “It’s the piano next,” she whispered into Jeongyeon’s ear. She nodded in response, exasperatingly watching Sana squeal in her seat.

“She could try to be less obvious and save us all some face,” Jeongyeon grumbled. Nayeon giggled at that. Jihyo, in a cranky mood, responded, “You two could too, but look where we are.” Nayeon and Jeongyeon looked at the other, confused.

They were soon snapped out of their thoughts by Dahyun’s performance. The orchestra had already left the stage. Quietness descended on the room, waiting for Dahyun to begin. The torches around the room were dimmed, the only light where Dahyun was.

And she did. The first notes of Waterfall flowed - well, like a waterfall. With her phrasing tying the arpeggios together, she connected the piece with a cool, restrained fire. As the piece went on and the melody was expanded, she played louder, more insistently until she made the picture of a waterfall in everyone’s mind. And somehow the waterfall seemed to calm down a little bit again, and she slowed the piece, ending with a chord.

After a brief silence, there was loud applause from the audience, awed with the performance. Dahyun nodded and accepted it before taking a little break between pieces. Jeongyeon saw Sana give Dahyun a thumbs up and then blow a kiss, and she pretended to throw up. Nayeon scanned the dark room, before her heart jumped a beat. 

“Where’s Mina?” Nayeon asked. Jeongyeon, alert, looked around. After not finding her, she turned to Nayeon. “Don't panic. Maybe she went out to the bathroom or something like that.” Jihyo heard the conversation. “Me and Jeongyeon can stay here if you want to go look,” she told Nayeon. Nayeon nodded and turned to leave the room as the second piece began.

After Nayeon left, the two turned their attention to Dahyun again. After the opening notes, a breath of recognition passed the crowd. Un Sospiro, by Liszt. A difficult piece indeed. As Dahyun managed the left and right hand crossovers while switching the melody every few seconds, Nayeon was in the hallway.

She looked around both directions, and walked around quickly. If she wasn’t here, the only other way she could’ve gone would be outside, although Nayeon doubted that, since there was no reason to be there. She started lightly jogging around the palace, looking for the princess.

As Dahyun masterfully guided the complex melody and technique that was uniquely Liszt, the piece continued ringing easily. Jeongyeon and Jihyo made sure Sana and Tzuyu were still in their seats. Tzuyu was quietly listening to the potential suitor from before, and Jihyo looked away, frowning again. Shrugging it off, Jeongyeon tried to think about where Mina could be.

A FEW MINUTES AGO. . .

Mina glanced over at 3MIX, still talking. She looked at the crowd, immersed in the piano playing. She quietly stood up, telling anyone who seemed confused she was going to the bathroom. She silently closed the door behind her to the hallway and looped around, going to the palace’s back garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I made this chapter really long so I decided to split it up into two parts. Next part comes out tomorrow. Hope u all like it. Drop a comment if u have anything to say!


	5. Happy New Year Part 2

Chapter 5 - Happy New Year Part 2

Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted a bike’s silhouette in the distance, she quickly walked towards the back of the garden. The royal family had many gardens, but Mina liked this one the best for it’s. . . low fence.

A struggling yelp signaled to her where they were supposed to meet, and Mina smiled as she saw a familiar face. “Chaeyoung!”

Nayeon huffed. This was ridiculous! She wasn’t in the hallways, nor any rooms she had looked in, or the bathroom! She was hired to protect the princess, and she didn’t even bother to tell her where she was going! And especially when an intruder was discovered just today! As she turned the corner again, facing the ballroom with piano music faintly muffled, her eyebrow twitching angrily. She was here to be a bodyguard, not play hide and seek!

It was a beautiful night. The sky was filled with stars, the moon was shining its silver light on everything it touched. Few clouds drifted across the heavens lazily, and it was all quiet except for the gentle humming of nature, still present in this cold.

The garden was filled with all sorts of flowers and bushes and trees, a maze that only allowed it’s keepers to unravel. And through it all, a lone bench sheltered by leaves and greenery, the only sign of life a bike a few yards away. The air was so pristine and sharp - it felt so good to breathe -

-Or perhaps it felt so good to just be by Chaeyoung. Mina couldn’t tell. She had put her head in Mina’s lap, gazing up at her. “Hi,” she whispered, and Mina giggled. “Hi,” she gently replied. Was she breathing? She couldn’t even remember, the only thing her mind processing was the beautiful paint spills on Chaeyoung’s shirt, and her shorts that usually boys would wear, and the hat that was ridiculous yet fit her so well, the gentle scent that was just so Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung reached up to touch a lock of Mina’s hair, and Mina leaned forward a little bit. “I missed you,” she said. Chaeyoung smiled, bittersweet but sincere. “I know. I did too.” Mina looked in her eyes, and her gaze drifted to her hand instead. “One day I’ll run away. I swear I will. And you can take me to all of those wonderful places you talk about.” Mina said. They both knew it wouldn’t happen, but Chaeyoung simply smiled.

“Okay,” she agreed. Chaeyoung hummed as she put the lock back, instead sitting up and holding Mina’s hand. “Did you like my portrait I sent you?” Mina giggled, and nodded. “Of course! I hang all of them up in my room.” Chaeyoung blushed. Her pictures in the Princess’ room - what an honor.

A gentle breeze fell upon them, and Mina shivered. Noticing, Chaeyoung passed Mina her jacket. Mina looked at it quietly. Looking up shyly at Chaeyoung with lidded eyes, and flushed cheeks (from the wind, Chaeyoung reminded herself), she asked, “Can I keep it?”

After staring at Mina, heart stopping for a few seconds, she reminded herself to respond. “Please,” she insisted, and they settled into quiet chatter, entwined in each other.

It was too soon (it was always too soon, Mina thought painfully, and she felt ashamed when she asked herself whose fault that was) when Chaeyoung had to leave, but she leaned forward and kissed Mina, fully and properly, and the whole world seemed to hang in suspension, to gently breathe together with them a sigh of laughter, and when Chaeyoung pulled back there was no trace of hostility in her eyes. Instead, a gentle blush covered her face. She gave one last hug to Mina, and started climbing the wall again, and after she hopped on her bike they waved to each other sweetly.

Smiling at the distance, Mina held onto her new jacket tightly, as if it protected her from the unforgiving cold. She nearly had a heart attack when a strangled, “Oh my God,” came from behind her. Nayeon stood, equal parts embarrassed, freaked out, and proud as half her leg was above a pillar, her apparently in the process of climbing it.

Mina blushed furiously, squealing in frustration and embarrassment as she covered her face into her jacket. Nayeon thought about the situation, deciding that there was only one way to proceed.

“Ah, Princess! I see you also take strolls after using the bathroom. What a coincidence to see you here!” Mina blinked, confused. “No, I was-” Nayeon continued, louder. “I guess we should head back, though! It’s getting kind of late!” Mina frowned. “But didn’t you see I wa-” Nayeon was nearly yelling now. “GREAT IDEA, PRINCESS! LET’S GET BACK TO THE BALLROOM!”

Nayeon dragged Mina back into the ballroom, not giving her any chance to explain herself, and they were met with the last sounds of Liszt’s Mazeppa. When everyone stood up to give Dahyun a standing ovation, Jeongyeon and Jihyo came over to the two. “Where was she?”  
Mina was about to answer, but Nayeon, (who looked windswept) replied, “SHE WAS USING THE BATHROOM.” 

Then, she pushed Mina away, before trying to smile convincingly, but ended up being crooked, eyes wide. Jeongyeon was confused. “Twenty minutes to use the bathroom? If you say so.” Unconvinced but not wanting to press the matter, 3MIX successfully let go (Nayeon less successfully) of the strange event.

It was late at night now, the party officially having ended twenty minutes prior. Mina had managed to convince the King and Queen to let her and her friends use the ballroom. It was New Year’s, they figured, and with a kind smile they closed the door behind them, Mina looking at a strange scene.

Sana was giggling with her head in Dahyun’s lap at the piano bench, Jihyo was awkwardly ignoring Tzuyu (although they were standing next to each other) and Jeongyeon and Nayeon were flir-talking to each other quietly.

Mina smiled, looking at her new group of friends.  
With a sudden bright idea and an evil grin, she went over to Jihyo and Tzuyu, filling them in. They in turn went to Sana and Dahyun, who also laughed evilly. 

Dahyun started phase two of the plan, a soft waltz drifting through the room. Jihyo, who was in charge of phase three, pushed Nayeon and Jeongyeon onto the floor and made a quick getaway, standing with Mina and Tzuyu.

They didn’t know what emotions the two were going through - shock, embarrassment, horror - but they didn’t care because the primary one shining through was awkwardness. As Jeongyeon held out her hand nervously, Jihyo cackled with laughter only a spectator of evil can cackle, Mina and Tzuyu laughed as quietly as they could when Nayeon stepped on Jeongyeon’s foot. 

Sana eyed the two with an amused gaze, and Dahyun was trying to hide her smile as she played the waltz.  
They had almost stopped laughing - for real - but Jeongyeon shot them all an angry glare (which didn’t work because her face was flushed, and they all started cracking up again.

A FEW MINUTES AGO. . .

As Mina was closing the door, Jeongyeon whispered a horrible joke to Nayeon, who, in turn, laughed. Jeongyeon smiled proudly as she looked at Nayeon, a feeling of affection resting as she looked down. She opened her mouth to say something, but they were rudely interrupted when Jihyo pushed them towards the center of the room.

Tired of pranks, Jeongyeon was about to retaliate, but soft piano notes prevented her from doing so. Looking at Nayeon, whose face was as red as Jeongyeon’s (though slightly more, if we were comparing) Jeongyeon felt her throat dry. Jeongyeon was at first, confused, then shocked (Jihyo had the nerve to do this in front of the Princesses!) and then a rapid excitement. Although dense at times, she understood this hint.

Adrenaline flowed through her veins as she realized this might be the only opportunity they would get.  
Hand shaking, she held it in front of her, and Nayeon’s eyes widened, looking up at her, vulnerable, like she had been waiting for Jeongyeon to initiate something. 

In that moment, Jeongyeon felt a heavy guilt and regret. Regret that she had pushed Nayeon away all those times she tried to get closer. Regret that every time she had thought of complementing Nayeon, she had let her pride get in the way and hadn’t. Regret that she was too scared, too arrogant to accept the older girl’s attention.

And in that moment, she swore that she would try to do better. To swallow her pride, to accept Nayeon because that’s what she deserved. (Because, God, if Nayeon asked her to, she would give her anything.) So she forced her hand to stop shaking. And with a glint in her eye, she asked Nayeon lowly -

\- “Would you give me the honor of this dance?” Nayeon properly, completely flushed at that, and silently nodded nervously, stepping closer to Jeongyeon. She hid her face on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, and Jeongyeon blushed, hand holding on to Nayeon’s hand tightly. Nayeon stepped on her foot, and Jeongyeon breathily laughed, drawing Nayeon’s attention on her. Dark eyes met Jeongyeon’s, and her steps stumbled.

Did they think they were being subtle? Jeongyeon shot a mad glare at the trio that were laughing - laughing at them. That only made them laugh harder, so Jeongyeon gave up and turned back to Nayeon. The rest of the dance went rather smoothly, and somehow, the room was empty except for Dahyun when they finished, the rest of the group proceeding with Stage 4.

Mina and Sana were outside, watching, and quickly gestured to Dahyun after she finished playing the waltz. Dahyun glanced at a confused Nayeon and Jeongyeon. “Sorry! Got to go, have fun!” she said quickly, hopping off the piano bench and going to meet Sana.

The door closed, (no doubt the others were laughing at them, Jeongyeon thought. The traitors!) and Jeongyeon nervously turned to face Nayeon, bravado from earlier vanishing.

Jeongyeon looked at Nayeon, panicking. “I’ll take you to your room,” she said. She could tell that Nayeon was disappointed, and Jeongyeon felt a flash of anger. What did Nayeon want her to do? A few minutes later, the two stood in front of Nayeon’s room, in a deserted hallway. It was dark, and silent, and the nighttime light filtered through the hallway’s window.

Nayeon stood, waiting for Jeongyeon to say goodbye. Jeongyeon reminded herself of her promise, how she wanted to make Nayeon happier. Looking down at the floor, she mustered her courage before eagerly stepping forward and pressing a kiss on Nayeon’s cheek. As she stepped back, she took a look at Nayeon’s shocked face, hair mussed, cheek dark red, mouth wide open and bunny front teeth showing.

Jeongyeon wondered briefly, painfully, how long Nayeon had waited for her to do that, if Nayeon ever felt resentment that she never reciprocated, but it was replaced with her hearing her own voice. She hadn’t even realized that she was speaking - maybe her mouth worked quicker than her brain.

“Whenever I’m with you, you always make me smile,” Jeongyeon said. She added softly, “And. . . you looked really pretty today.” Before she had even finished, she had already disappeared in the hallway, walking off her embarrassment.

Nayeon was thoroughly, entirely shocked, frozen in place. She recalled an old memory.

They were kids - well, not kids, but teenagers. They had been training, competitive as always, and Jeongyeon had knocked Nayeon down harder than she intended to. Things back then were so simple - wake up, enjoy the outdoors, eat with Jeongyeon, train with Jeongyeon, eat together again, study together, then play together in the evenings. 

They trained at a small town, and while their teacher was strict he made a policy that they would have free time all day on Saturdays and every day after dinner. However, in this particular evening they were doing training of their own accord and Jeongyeon stood over Nayeon, a proud grin on her face.

“Ha! I win!” Jeongyeon declared loudly, before realizing something was off. Nayeon started tearing up, and Jeongyeon, horrified, pulled Nayeon up and gave her a hug. “Are you alright?!” Jeongyeon asked, starting to freak out.

Nayeon didn’t reply, but kept crying. Her ribs felt bruised, and Jeongyeon kept apologizing. The next day, Nayeon told Jeongyeon that it was alright, that she was fine. Jeongyeon said that because she had never cried before that it scared her, and she promised to be more careful in future. They made up, but that later that night, at dinner, Jeongyeon had stood up dramatically.

“Nabongs!” she yelled loudly, standing up. Nayeon, startled, put her spoon down and swallowed her soup before looking up at Jeongyeon worriedly. Jeongyeon put her head down, body shaking, holding a spoon. “Next time I make you cry. . .” Jeongyeon looked at Nayeon, pointing the spoon at her. There was a fire of determination in her eyes. “I HOPE IT’LL BE TEARS OF JOY!”

Nayeon had always snickered at the memory, but now, as tears rolled down her face, she angrily wiped them away, muttering shakily, “Yoo Jeongyeon, you always keep your promises.”

Mina looked out at her window. “Happy New Year, Chaeyoung.” On the other side of the city, Chaeyoung glanced at the sky, moon high above. ‘Happy New Year,’ she smiled. Sana kissed Dahyun, laughing at her flushed face. “Happy New Year, Dayunnie!” Tzuyu, in the carriage with Jihyo, heading to the Chou estate, hearing distant fireworks, muttered to Jihyo, “Happy New Year.” 

Jeongyeon, looking out of the window on the other end of the hallway, clearing her head, took a deep breath. “Happy New Year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Now we’re moving more into the spring chapters. Some surprises coming! (I hope) And be patient with 2yeon...they’re figuring things out... Hope you all laughed!


	6. Spring Clean Adventure

Chapter 6 - Spring Clean Adventure

Atmiser. An extremely powerful kingdom - with one strange quality. The previous King had mysteriously disappeared years prior, leaving his younger brother to the throne. He had a daughter, but a few years past she too had disappeared. The commoners thought that the royal line were recipients of extremely bad luck, and were still grieving over the loss of their beloved princess. 

However, the royals knew better. The King had gotten in a huge fight with his daughter, resulting in her leaving the kingdom - permanently, it seemed, although he hoped not. In retrospect, he had understood his daughter better and now would have liked nothing more than to apologize and make up with her. Unfortunately, she had disappeared frighteningly well. Though he had tried to find her, there was just no trace of her.  


And to add to this line of bad luck, his top general officer had just resigned. He had always been extremely fond of his daughter, and ever since her disappearance he had been more and more spiteful to the king - only staying in hopes that she would come back. And he had finally given up, leaving the country for good.  


His first stop was the kingdom of Twiceland, their closest ally, and in a show of rebellious defiance he had broken in. If you asked him why, he would’ve simply said that he was lost in grief, and perhaps wanted to hurt the king - since Atmiser and Twiceland were allies, this would surely cause him some political trouble.  


He explained all of this to the prison master, and apologized for the incident. He knew that he was still going to be sentenced to death, or at least exile, but he felt like he owed an explanation. “Atmiser. . . since our princess left, the royals have been in despair. I know nothing will be forgiven, but I - I just wanted to tell someone,” he said.  


The prison warden then contacted 3MIX and other military officials, including the royal council to further debate this topic. But for now. . . “Go back to your cell, old man.”  


Nayeon was burdened with extreme confusion and was completely out of it since New Year’s Eve. Any interaction with Princess Mina was awkward (because of ‘The Affair’) and any interaction with Jihyo was awkward (because of her connection to ‘The What Happened to You Jeongyeon?!) and any interaction with Jeongyeon was exceptionally awkward. Because. You know.  


So as Mina received another painting in the mail, initialed SC, Nayeon took a sharp breath when she suddenly realized that the bike she had seen had art supplies on it, and that the letter she had accidentally read put the artist’s name as Chaeyoung.  


Mina glanced over at Nayeon, blushing lightly. Nayeon pretended to adjust her armor, and Mina sighed and put the painting down. “So, you found out.” Nayeon looked like a deer caught in headlights, but she resignedly nodded. “My apologies, Princess,” she said meekly. “I was worried about you and I was looking in the garden and -”  


Nayeon figured this was a good time to clear the air. “-And also that letter you gave me, I accidentally saw a part of it - only a small part! But she - her - her name’s Chaeyoung, right?”  


If this situation weren’t so stressful, Mina would’ve laughed at the apologetic look on Nayeon’s face, but regrettably, it was stressful. Extremely so. Mina coughed. “It’s not proper for a princess, is it?” Nayeon blinked, and scoffed. “What are you talking about? Just because you’re a princess doesn’t change anything. It’s your life,” she said.  


Mina blinked. “You mean you support -” she gestured to the walls of her room, filled with portraits. Nayeon shook her head. “OF COURSE!” she nearly yelled. “If you two are happy, then why not?” she then coughed. “But I think it’s in your best interest to keep this as private as possible. Some of the council members. . . and your parents. . .”  


Mina nodded tiredly. “Tzuyu and Sana know. But other than that no one else does.” Nayeon nodded. She walked towards Mina, putting a hand on her shoulder. “And please, I know it’s a difficult situation, but you have to try and look up. See the silver lining,” she tried to comfort.  


Mina swallowed dryly. It meant a lot to her that Nayeon was accepting, and that she was trying to help her. Refusing to tear up, she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered. Nayeon nodded and smiled, removing her hand. “Certainly, Princess. I'll meet you outside.”  


She looked out the window, the first signs of spring approaching. Smiling, she hung up Chaeyoung’s new artwork in the midst of her very crowded wall, nodded approvingly, and headed outside.  


“Spring Clean Adventure?” Jeongyeon asked. It was barely February, and she had just finished walking in the gardens with Princess Sana. She giggled happily. “Of course! It’s an annual event everyone participates in!” Jeongyeon knew Sana well enough now that ‘everyone participates in’ meant Sana did it by herself, Dahyun tolerated it, and the staff helped her while Mina watched, concerned.  


“What. . . what’s a Spring Clean Adventure?” Jeongyeon asked. Sana looked at Jeongyeon disturbingly, as if she had just asked how to tie her shoelaces. After recovering slightly, she huffed, “It’s where I go to the town. And do Spring Clean. And it’s an adventure.”  


Confused but tired, Jeongyeon nodded, deciding that she was done trying to figure out her silly antics. Later that day, Sana demonstrated it to Jeongyeon.  


Picking up a sweater, Sana laughed. “Spring Clean Adventure!” After buying teacups, three dog stuffed animals, ten umbrellas, a couple dozen fountain pens, along with sixteen lanterns, which after buying each one yelled, “Spring Clean Adventure!” Jeongyeon realized what the event was.  


Watching the stand vendors cater to the princess, Jeongyeon sighed frustratedly. ‘Spring Clean Adventure’ was just a rich people shopping spree! Scandalized, she accompanied Sana the whole afternoon as she went to every single shop in the whole city, it seemed.  


With the sunset a few hours off, the two sat together in a tea shop at the corner of the city. The carriage was busy taking all the stuff Sana had bought back to the palace, and it would come back shortly to pick them up.  


“In a few weeks we’ll start phase two of the Spring Clean Adventure!” Sana said. Jeongyeon waited for the ‘we’re going shopping again’ or some other ridiculous thing, but surprisingly Sana told her that they were going to actually clean the castle. Or at least the area surrounding her room.  


Jeongyeon was proud of her when she recalled their first meeting, where Sana had almost knocked over a dozen things. Her expression changed into one of abject horror when she realized she would have to chase the Princess all day to prevent her from breaking anything.

With a groan, Jeongyeon slid down her seat, having a headache just thinking about the stressful occasion in a few weeks.  


A FEW WEEKS LATER. . . (March 1st)  


Apparently the Spring Clean Adventure also included an official tea party, which was deception on Princess Sana’s part. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but woefully this also meant that Tzuyu and Mina were coming, and that meant actually talking to Nayeon, which was NOT something she wanted to do.  


In fact, before this, she had been doing a FANTASTIC job COMPLETELY IGNORING Nayeon. She saw her in the hallway? Walk the opposite direction. Nayeon and Mina were at an event with Sana? Go to the corner and pretend like she was busy. 3MIX’s weekly meetings? SKIP THEM. She had said that she was sick, she had somewhere to go with Sana, that she was out of town. . . she was running out of excuses and the two were starting to lose their patience.  


Under Nayeon and Jihyo’s scrutinizing gaze, Jeongyeon realized that all of her bravery from New Year’s Eve had completely and totally disappeared. Vanished in thin air. Turning her attention back to the three at the tea table, finally, a distraction appeared.  


Mina sipped her tea, then sharply and quietly threw, “So, how’s Dahyun?” Sana, in the middle of stirring her tea, promptly dropped her spoon. “Dub-How-T-that’s-” Tzuyu and Mina laughed wickedly, and Jeongyeon facepalmed. She didn’t care about Princess Sana’s. . . whatever was going on, couldn't they be more subtle about it?  


Tzuyu, in a show of uncharacter, asked, “Yeah, how is she? Me and Mina would like to congratulate her on her wonderful performance on New Year’s.” Sana blinked a few times, then scowled. “She said that it wasn’t all that great-” All of 3MIX facepalmed this time.  


“So you admit you’ve been talking to her! HA!” Tzuyu called triumphantly. A high-pitched shriek came from the room. “THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”  


A FEW DAYS LATER. . .  


Jihyo walked around the inside of the Chou estate, examining the hallways and rooms. She had slowly settled into the mysterious aura of the place, and she liked the quieter ambience of it. However, it was still strange for her to talk to Tzuyu. She couldn’t understand the younger girl.  


Why was she always so quiet? And when she did talk, she should manage her expressions, Jihyo thought. As the leader of 3MIX, the nation’s best squadron of knights, she had been trained to act and talk boldly and loudly, and how to make herself commanding and intense.  


That being said, she knew everyone had their own reasons and was just curious about the younger girl. Jihyo herself had grown up in a big city with a normal family and several siblings (unlike Nayeon and Jeongyeon). With Tzuyu being an only child and her mother barely present in her uprising, and her father being gone so much for his work, along with the fact she was stuck in this house for most of her childhood, probably contributed to that fact, she mused.

She knew it wasn’t in her place to pry, however, so she tried not to think too much about the matter. Turning around, she was surprised at the presence of Tzuyu. Tilting her head slightly up to look at her, she stated, “Miss Tzuyu! Is there anything you need?” Tzuyu shook her head. “I was wondering if you wanted to. . . visit the lake with me?” she asked nervously.  


A few seconds passed before Jihyo remembered to respond. “Ah! Of course. I’ll get ready immediately.” There was a lake a few miles behind the estate. It was quite scenic, and Jihyo had gotten glimpses of it before, but had never went there. “I’ll tell the staff to bring the carriage,” she said, and immediately Tzuyu shook her head forcefully.  


“No, just. . . us two. To get out of the house.” 

Confused but intrigued, she managed to convince Tzuyu to let the staff pack a picnic basket. Although they bickered lightly about who would carry it, Jihyo insisted that she do it, since it was a (small) part of her job. They settled to let Tzuyu carry the teacups.  


It was a nice, short walk, around half an hour, and when they got closer, Tzuyu led them to a small hill that overlooked the lake. The hill was covered with the first of the spring grass, and Jihyo could see the struggling trees that signaled the start of springtime.  


As the blue sky quietly fought with the clouds that were overhead, the two started eating. After a slightly awkward silence, Tzuyu startled the silence. “How. . . are you so loud?” Embarrassed, Jihyo quickly apologized, in a small tone. “Miss Tzuyu, I apologize.” she said in a low voice. Tzuyu blinked, “No! I didn’t mean it - that way - I’m sorry.”  


After a short pause, Tzuyu continued. “I mean, with crowds, or just in general, how can you be so. . . loud?” Embarrassed yet again, but understanding the question slightly better this time, Jihyo responded, “Well. I think it has something to do with Nayeon and Jeongyeon. They were inseparable when we were younger, trust me, and at first they didn’t listen to me at all.”  


Tzuyu was curious. “Really?” she asked. Jihyo nodded. “Looking back, it’s quite funny, but at the time it was horrible. It was like they were trapped in their own little bubble, though I guess - it makes sense,” she stated sadly. Shaking her head slightly, she continued. “Because of that, I had to be more loud and assertive. And because of that, I was assigned the position of ‘leader’ and then I had to be even louder and more commanding.”  


Looking at Tzuyu, she winced. “Sorry. I’ll try to keep it on the down low.” Tzuyu shook her head. “No, please, I was just wondering. How. . .” she hesitated, and Jihyo took this time to look at Tzuyu. She was very pretty. “How do you not feel nervous?”  


Jihyo laughed loudly, then coughed when she remembered she was going to be more quiet. “Once, well actually, how Nayeon and Jeongyeon found me. . . honestly, after that, I couldn’t be scared of anything if I tried.”  


“But I think it’s important to just be present in the moment. A lot of things are smaller than you think they are, but are amplified because of your emotions at the time. If you can calm down slightly and just try to loosen up a bit, that might help,” Jihyo suggested.  


Tzuyu looked down at her sandwich, then up at Jihyo and smiled. “That’s. . . actually good advice. Thank you, Jihyo,” she said softly.  


With a sense of accomplishment filling her chest, Jihyo snatched a sandwich and took a bite out of it, face feeling hot. Combating this heat, she took a sip of tea. Tzuyu giggled, and Jihyo looked at her, surprised. Tzuyu shook her head and offered Jihyo another sandwich.  


Mina rushed through the town, Nayeon hot on her trail. Running as fast as she could down an alley, she ended up at the edge of the town. “Princess!” Nayeon called loudly. Mina was wearing a disguise, an old shirt of Nayeon’s and a hat to cover her face. Stopping at the edge, she gave a gummy grin. “Chaeyoung!” The younger stood next to her bike, an equally awe-struck look on her face.  


Nayeon quickly caught up, scanning the area. “Girls, I’d like to give you some privacy, but I have to stay by the Princess, so-” she saw an isolated tree on a hill. “You two can go over there and I’ll wait here for you.” After Mina nodded a thanks, her and Chaeyoung headed over to the tree.  


Chaeyoung’s eyes widened, panic setting in. “She-she knows?” Mina nodded. “Yes, but it’s alright. She’s my bodyguard, she was bound to find out sooner or later.” Seeing that Chaeyoung was still looking worried, she leaned forward and kissed her. Chaeyoung glowed, muttering, “That’s not fair.”  


Mina laughed. “Trust me. It’s alright. It’s actually nice to talk to her about you,” and Chaeyoung was blushing again. “Fine. You win.” Mina gave her a gummy smile and Chaeyoung melted, leaning towards her. “I loved your last picture. Where’d you go for it?”  


Chaeyoung told her stories about her biking around the province, stopping at scenic locations to paint, how she had almost gotten lost in a forest, how she had almost been stuck in a muddy ditch, and the nice farer couple she had met.  


In turn, Mina told Chaeyoung about life at the palace, typical gossip and rumors, along with other things, like how Sana was happier than usual, “which shouldn’t be possible, really, but it is.” Chaeyoung giggled. 

Mina waited a moment, frowning. “And. . . something else, I don’t want you to stress out, but I just thought you should know.” Chaeyoung sat up straighter, and Mina continued. “My parents are trying to find me a suitor,” she said. Chaeyoung snorted. “What else is new?” she asked. “It’s not a problem. I probably won’t take the throne for at least ten years.” Her parents were still relatively young and healthy. “And I can deflect all of it for a long while.” she smiled at Chaeyoung. “And worst case scenario, I’ll fight for you.”  


Chaeyoung couldn’t catch a break today. Flushing, she corrected, “For us.” Their moment was interrupted by Nayeon walking towards them. “My deepest apologies, Princess, but if we stay any longer I’m not sure I can make more excuses.” Nayeon explained.  


Nodding, Mina bid farewell to Chaeyoung, the two lingering around each other. Chaeyoung kissed Mina’s cheek, and they whispered to each other, Nayeon on the lookout. As Chaeyoung was getting on her bike, Nayeon walked over, kneeling down. After standing up, she held out her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Chaeyoung. Im Nayeon.” Chaeyoung, pleasantly surprised, grinned and shook her hand. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.  


Nayeon and Mina waved to Chaeyoung, and then Nayeon followed Mina’s walk back to the palace.  


A FEW DAYS LATER. . .  


“We’re hosting the tea in my room today?” Sana asked, confused. Tzuyu and Mina nodded, sitting down at Sana’s table with no explanation. “Oh, ok!” Sana chirped, sitting down also. Jeongyeon, Nayeon, and Jihyo stood in different corners of the room, each occasionally glancing around. Nayeon was glaring at Jeongyeon to try to make her look at her, she KNEW that Jeongyeon was ignoring her, did she think it wasn’t obvious?  


Nayeon, wondering why on earth Jeongyeon would do that before suddenly remember the events of New Year’s Eve, which they had never talked about, a sudden and complete redness covered her face. She couldn’t sleep for weeks after that - in fact, she was just starting to recover - which seemed like an overreaction, but it was Yoo Jeongyeon for goodness sake, who had always ignored or rejected her playful flirting, and WHAT THE HECK  


Jeongyeon was FINALLY looking at her, but this was the WRONG TIME because her face was still red, and OH MY GOD why was she looking at her like that -  


In her panic, she hadn’t noticed a knock at the door, and neither had Jeongyeon. Jihyo, who was on the other side of the room hadn’t heard it, and so finally Sana got up.  


Opening the door, it revealed a special guest. Dahyun couldn’t see the rest of the group in the room, and she furiously pushed Sana back in the middle of the room, leaving the two of them visible to the entire group.  


Blind to the spectators, Dahyun gripped Sana’s shoulder, ignoring the shocked expression Sana had. Dahyun put her hand on the back of Sana’s neck, and pulled her closer aggressively. Sana squealed from the intensity of Dahyun’s eyes. Dahyun kissed her fiercely, grasping the back of her shirt. With her eyes closed, she pressed her lips into Sana’s, demanding Sana to let her take her. She was infuriatingly impatient, swiping her tongue against Sana’s lips. Sana gasped, melting under her touch, and she let Dahyun take control, whimpering. Dahyun further leaned into Sana, as if she wanted to spend the rest of her life buried in Sana’s embrace.  


Sana was on fire from the forward actions of Dahyun, her whole body numb and her heart pounding, and Dahyun’s hands gripping her shirt was the only thing keeping her anchored, and then Dahyun bit her lower lip forcefully, and Sana gasped and she pulled back, dazed.

Dahyun opened her eyes slowly, and Sana swallowed dryly looking at her. Her eyes were unfocused and dark, her pale skin now rosy and her lips red and glistening. Sana felt weak, her arms shaking as she grasped her skirt. She let out a whine at the sight of her.  


Dahyun had an air around her that normally Sana never saw - this unholy, dare she say - possessive side that she kept hidden. Until now, that is. Dahyun’s hair was messy and her shirt wrinkled, and Sana was sure she was in a similar state of disarray. Sana collapsed into Dahyun’s arms, whining pathetically, and Dahyun held her tightly, arms stable.  


“Hey what the fuck.” As soon as Dahyun heard the voice, she turned paler than she usually was. Stumbling back, she whispered an, “Oh no.” 

A FEW MINUTES AGO. . .  


Jihyo watched as Nayeon and Jeongyeon looked at each other. Her eyebrow twitched. She was sure something had happened on New Year’s Eve, but she wasn’t sure what. And, glancing at the two, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. As Sana stood up, Jihyo realized someone must’ve been at the door.  


Dahyun entered and immediately a few eyebrows shot up. As Dahyun pushed Sana back, Jihyo felt a strange foreboding - oh. Oooh. Averting her gaze to the floor, embarrassed, Jihyo stayed silent.

Meanwhile, Mina was blinking repeatedly while watching the two start to make out, Dahyun heatedly pressing into Sana. Quickly, Mina looked out of the window at the birds outside. Tzuyu stared in shock and gaped, her mouth wide open.  


Nayeon and Jeongyeon both observed the scene, Jeongyeon not even bothering to be subtle but instead turning her back on the scene after hearing Sana whimper. She pretended to throw up, and Nayeon snickered at her. She glanced at Jihyo, who looked awkward. As she turned back to Jeongyeon, who was now covering her face in exasperation. Nayeon snorted quietly, inspecting her armor. This was certainly a surprise.  


After they had finished, a bewildered Tzuyu interrupted the silence with a, “Hey what the fuck.” Jihyo immediately scolded, “Language, Mizz Tzuyu!” Jeongyeon turned around, seeing Dahyun’s face. She laughed loudly and suddenly, and after a few seconds Nayeon joined her, her loud laughing startling the rest of the group.

Clutching Jeongyeon, the two laughed together, and soon the tension was broken and the whole room was rolling over howling. Sana even giggled too, seemingly not worried, and Dahyun flushed shamefully.  
After everyone had stopped laughing, Jeongyeon and Nayeon were still quietly giggling. “Wow, Dahyun,” Jeongyeon said, and Nayeon echoed it louder. “WOW, DAHYUN!” she roared.  


To be Continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Dahyun’s scene at the end... I not sorry. I must say I’m extremely proud of myself. Dahyun is usually the panicked gay and she’s my bias so look where we ended up lol 
> 
> Leave a comment, I’m lonely! Hope you all liked the new chapter :D no spoilers but isn’t someone missing so far...? Lol see you at the next chapter!


	7. DANCE!

Chapter 7 - DANCE!

At Tdoong Cafe, 3MIX were finally gathered after a few months of Jeongyeon avoiding the two. They reached an unspoken agreement that if no one brought it up, Jeongyeon wouldn’t ignore them anymore. They were all still stunned from the events of what had happened last time with. . . Princess Sana.

Jihyo sighed. It seemed like everyone around her was completely hopeless. Apart from the obvious, now Princess Mina would have to find a husband so the royal family could keep their bloodline. That is, if the royal family ever found out about Sana and Dahyun.

And not to mention the two idiots right in front of her. Although Jeongyeon had stopped ignoring Nayeon, she could tell that Nayeon was hurt from. . . whatever happened. All of this playing detective was giving her a headache.

Sighing, she stirred her tea angrily and then something caught her ear. “Princess Mina’s birthday is in a few weeks,” Nayeon stated. “The 24th, right?” Nayeon nodded. “What should we get her?” Jihyo asked. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out later.” 

“How old is she turning? Twenty three, right?” Jihyo nodded. “That’ll give her at least five years before she needs to find a husband.” she mused. Nayeon snorted loudly. Jeongyeon squinted at her. “What?” she asked. Nayeon snickered. “Nothing.”

Suddenly, the mood changed. “Jeongyeon! Why have you been ignoring me?” Nayeon accused. Jeongyeon’s eyes widened. “Wha-don’t-,” she paused, then angrily replied, “Don’t accuse people with no reasoning!” 

Nayeon gritted her teeth. “You haven’t been talking to me, though!” Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “Okay, and? Sometimes, unlike some people,” she said pointedly. “I have to work and am actually busy with things!” She defended. Nayeon scoffed. “SO busy you miss our annual tea meetings five weeks in a row?” Jeongyeon opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, having no comeback.

Jihyo sighed, getting a headache from this bickering. “Why am I always a third wheel?” she said exasperatedly. Nayeon stuck her tongue out. “Maybe if you actually tried to date someone once in a while,” Nayeon suggested. Jihyo saw Jeongyeon’s dark gaze and tried to change the topic, but Nayeon was too quick. “You know, I went on a date a week ago, and let me tell you, her hair was so prett-” she was interrupted by Jeongyeon slamming her hands on the table, eyes hardened.

YEARS AGO. . .

Jeongyeon held up a flower headband she had made. She was fourteen, and Nayeon was fifteen. At the time, they were still training, but today was Saturday! Enjoying her day off, Nayeon had gone to the town (since Teacher’s house was a half hour walk away) and Jeongyeon had made her a flower headband.

Nayeon was pretty, like flowers, she thought. And since it was springtime, it was a good time to give her something nice. Smiling to herself as she held the headband, she started the walk towards the town. She finally arrived, and checked the headband. She added a few flowers. It had to be very nice, so Nayeon would like it. Proud of herself, she walked towards Nayeon.

Nayeon was talking with a girl, Jeongyeon noticed. She was a bit taller than Jeongyeon, and had a good-natured smile. Suddenly, Nayeon reached forward and placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder, giggling at something she had said.

Jeongyeon blinked, confused and hurt - although she wasn’t sure why. She bit her lip, then walked towards Nayeon, blinking up slowly at her. “Nabongs, I made-” Nayeon ignored her, not even glancing at her as she continued talking with the girl. When she tucked a piece of hair behind the girl’s ear and Nayeon laughed, Jeongyeon had felt her heart stop.

Backing away quickly, murmuring a, “I’ll give it to you later,” in case Nayeon wanted to know, she stumbled off the path. She ran and ran. She sprinted through the forest, gasping until she stood above a small stream, her eyes filled with tears. She found herself crying, though she didn’t know why.

Perhaps it was because even though Nayeon always complimented her and called her cute and doted on her (friends do that, Jeongyeon reminded herself) and sometimes, sometimes, looked at Jeongyeon caringly, (was that really necessary?) or, god forbid, crept into her bed and laid down next to her because she was scared (and that always led to a sleepless night for Jeongyeon) she always felt unsure of Nayeon’s feelings.

She was a mess, sobbing into the river. She realized two more things slowly. That she had a - crush - on Nayeon. And she couldn’t accept that, not anymore, because, Jeongyeon remembered how many times Nayeon had giggled at her bad jokes (looking back, how did she not realize before?), had touched her hair like that, but - but -

Her heart clenched as she realized that it was just a game to Nayeon. She was just being herself, her bubbly, bright self, and Jeongyeon had fallen for it, completely and fully dived headfirst into this, into her, into Nayeon, Nayeon, Nayeon, without checking the depth of the water, and -

She couldn’t handle it anymore, and she threw the flowers down on the grass. Eyes burning, she kept crying, sobbing and trying to place blame, but the only one to blame was herself because it wasn’t Nayeon’s fault, how could it ever be her fault? 

She had stayed there until the sun was about to set. For hours, she had sat there, contemplating. Now that she knew this, she needed to figure things out, otherwise Nayeon would slip out of her grasp, and, god, if she had ever done anything good in her life, she prayed that she deserved to just stay besides Nayeon.

Her heart already breaking just thinking about it, she realized she couldn’t handle it if Nayeon tried to flirt with her, so she knew she had to - had to ignore it. No. More than that, she had to push her away.

Eyes filling with tears again, holding her knees, she could already tell how hurt Nayeon would be by this. However, it was either this, or she had to distance herself from Nayeon completely, and there was no way that either of them would accept that. Even if somehow, one day, Nayeon hated her, Jeongyeon was stubborn. She would stay with her no matter what. That she promised.

However, as she trudged back to their Teacher’s house, she already regretted her (un-foolproof) plan. Nayeon didn’t even bat an eye when she entered the room. She changed her shoes and shirt. 

That night, Nayeon didn’t even ask about the flowers.

Jeongyeon cried herself to sleep.

Nayeon recalled how it had been before. When Jeongyeon was twelve, each day she would ask Jeongyeon. . .

“Jeongyeon!” Jeongyeon turned around, smiling. Nayeon gave her a gummy grin. Showing her new dress they had made together, she asked sweetly, “Am I cute?” Jeongyeon laughed. “Very cute, unnie.”

When Jeongyeon was thirteen, Nayeon would tell her. . .

“A girl like me is good to date.” Jeongyeon blinked. “I know,” she would reply. Nayeon would then lean into Jeongyeon, smiling gently. “Would you date me?” Jeongyeon swallowed. What? What was she talking about? A-as a guy? What situation, and what specifically - “Of course,” she cooed. Nayeon would blush at that, and Jeongyeon would laugh.

But now. . .

Nayeon wore her dress that she had bought. It was extremely pretty, and although slightly expensive, she wanted a nice one to celebrate the start of summer. She turned around and blew a kiss to Jeongyeon. “What do you think?” she asked, smiling.

Jeongyeon barely glanced up. “Fine,” she replied. Nayeon blinked, smile fading. “Jeongyeon?” she asked. Jeongyeon slammed her book down on the table. “Have fun on your date,” she growled. She slammed the door behind her, leaving a confused Nayeon.

Jeongyeon bit her lip, trying not to cry too close to the house. Later that night, Nayeon was oblivious to the emotions Jeongyeon was going through. Nayeon turned towards her, smiling. “Her hair was so pretty,” Nayeon sighed, and Jeongyeon had broken her glass of water and walked out the door.

THE PRESENT. . .

Jeongyeon felt a sense of deja vu as she slammed her teacup on the table again. “Excuse me.” She got up, walking quickly outside. Her footsteps were more like stomps, and she radiated an aura of red hot anger. As she bit her lip painfully, she corrected herself. Not anger. Jealousy. This was just a crush, she reminded herself forcefully.

In fact, she was so out of it that she didn't realize Jihyo and Nayeon were chasing after her, and they had caught up to her. Nayeon was confused at the hurt in Jeongyeon’s eyes, but they were all disrupted by a panicking intruder.

“Jeongyeon!” Sana cried. She had searched the whole city to find where Jeongyeon was, and immediately 3MIX turned their attention to her. “Atmiser has declared war on us!”

The panic that ensured was chaotic. 3MIX immediately returned to the palace, Jeongyeon getting details from Sana. Thankfully, it wasn’t as drastic as she had first described. And no one outside of the royal family knew what had happened, so far. However, the situation was perilous. It was a huge misunderstanding, but the King of Atmiser thought that Twiceland was helping his escaped military general.

Since the general had commited treason, the King of Atmiser saw this as a huge offense. Jeongyeon nodded, eyes widening when Sana said the King was at the palace right now. Trying to keep her calm, Jeongyeon asked something that (although they didn’t know it yet) would save them all.

“Do you want me to get Dahyun?”

The monarchs were in the debating room, and Mina’s parents had explained the situation. “I assure you, we were not helping him. We were simply holding him in prison after he had broken in to the castle.” The King narrowed his eyes. “I understand now. However, you should’ve contacted me immediately after he confessed he was part of the Atmiser military.”

The King and Queen nodded and apologized, and gestured to the doorway. “If you want, Princess Mina can take you to him,” they told him. He thanked them they all stood up, starting to leave the throne room together. Mina stood there, along with Nayeon and Jeongyeon, while Dahyun was talking to Sana.

“I don’t understand. Who’s here?” Dahyun was asking when the royals were approaching. She quickly turned and started to bow before completely freezing. The King scanned their faces until he stopped.

“Dahyun?” the King asked quietly. It sounded broken and he reached his hand out when -

Dahyun jumped in front of Sana, holding her hands out as if to protect her. She glared and gritted her teeth. “Stay away from her!” she yelled. Sana was confused and Mina was about to apologize on Dahyun’s behalf when suddenly the King’s eyes got watery.

Dahyun snorted. Shocked at Dahyun’s boldness, Jeongyeon was about to scold her when she interrupted. 

“Hi, Dad.”

The whole room was stunned into silence, and the King picked himself up. “Please, Dahyun, just listen to me,” he asked. She ignored him, and turned around, gently holding onto Sana’s hand and placed her next to Jeongyeon carefully. She then turned to glare at her father. “What are you doing here?” 

He wiped his eyes, and said shamefully, “General Chen is imprisoned here.” Dahyun gasped. “What?!” General Chen was more of a father figure than her own father, Dahyun thought ironically. He had supported her before and during the. . . what had happened, and it appeared like afterwards too.

Dahyun turned to leave, but her father stopped her. “Please, listen to me. I thought about it, and I know I was wrong now, I realize that I was unfair, and you don’t have to forgive me, but please, let me know how you’re doing from time to time. Your mother is worried-”

Dahyun turned around and glared at him. “And how is that my problem?” she snapped. “Please take me to General Chen,” she asked Mina softer. Mina nodded, bewildered.

A FEW YEARS AGO. . .

Dahyun’s mother stood in front of her. The two glared at each other. Dahyun’s dad stood on the other side of the room, and General Chen stood beside Dahyun. “What are you talking about?” the Queen asked.

Dahyun nodded. “I want to play the piano. If not professionally, then at least four hours everyday. So I’m going to drop out of my studying. I’ve already learned the basics anyway,” she said. Dahyun’s mom gasped loudly. “You are NOT!” she said. They had a big fight that night, and General Chen was trying to reason with the Queen while Dahyun’s dad just watched.

The Queen asked, “What kind of husband would want a wife that plays piano?” Dahyun laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t ever have a husband. In fact, I like girls,” Dahyun stated. “And Father said we’ll let your nephew take the throne. Right?” A flash of hesitation. Dahyun started shaking slightly. “Right?”

She had ran away that night, after her mother had yelled at her. Like that was going to change anything. She felt deeply betrayed by her father, who wouldn’t stand up for her. With the help of General Chen, he had promised her a boat to escape, and she had taken it to a town on the outskirts of Atmiser, then taken a horse towards Twiceland. 

NOW. . .

The whole group ended up accompanying Dahyun to the prison. Sana was the most shocked. “You. . . you didn’t tell me?” she asked, hurt. Dahyun flinched guiltily. “I’m sorry, I’ll. . . I’ll explain everything later,” she promised everyone.

When General Chen saw her, he burst into tears. In fact, he sobbed for the entire hour that they were there. He first explained how, in his rage, he had broken into the castle as some sort of rebellious act against the King, and how he had only stayed in Atmiser to try to find Dahyun, but then he had given up and left. He asked for forgiveness from all of them, and after determining that he was, in fact, good-hearted they all forgave him.

Nayeon remembered how dangerous his technical abilities were, and huffed. She had an idea, although a dangerous one, but now wasn’t the time.

That afternoon, Dahyun and the three royals had a long talk. Dahyun explained how she ran away because she wanted to be a pianist, and that she had come here to audition, thinking the last place that her parents would look would be the neighboring country’s capital. The King profusely apologized for everything, and he said that both him and his wife deeply regretted their actions.

Dahyun didn’t want to hold grudges. Who does, really? And they were her parents for goodness sake. People make mistakes. She settled for a compromise. “I’ll write you letters every few weeks. And in turn, you leave me alone.”

Her father was disappointed that she didn’t want to return, but he obviously understood. He asked the King and Queen to take good care of her, as she was royalty. He explained that he couldn’t stay for long, and had to leave that night. Dahyun gave him a hug. She hadn’t forgiven him, but at least he should feel at ease. No one should continue to suffer for mistakes that were made so long ago.

She then turned to Sana’s room, knowing that her friends were all waiting for her. She entered quietly. She sat down in Sana’s lap. “Sorry everyone,” she said gloomily.

There was no response for a few seconds. Suddenly, Nayeon broke the silence. “I’m sorry, it’s kind of hard to take you seriously when you’re sitting on her lap like that-” Tzuyu nodded, grimacing, and Mina added, “I know.” While Jeongyeon said, “She’s right.”

The two blushed, and after moving away they settled for just holding hands. Dahyun started to apologize, but Jihyo interrupted. “I think. . . everyone has their own secrets. You had your own reasons for what you did, and we should respect that.” Tzuyu nodded, but said, “We would’ve never guessed you were royalty.”

Dahyun wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult, so she just said, “Thank you?”

Jeongyeon gave Dahyun a hug. “I think we should have a sleepover tonight. Boost everyone’s spirit.” Dahyun smiled widely, and soon everyone was hyped.

“We’ll go get our stuff!” Nayeon said excitedly. Everyone left except for Mina. She glanced at the two of them, resisting the urge to tell them, ‘have fun’ or something of the same effect. She simply closed the door behind her gently.

Dahyun turned to Sana. “Sorry, I. . . I felt really good when I got accepted into this position on my own accord, and I - if I told you, you would’ve had to keep the secret too, and I didn’t want you to be in that situation. . .”  
Sana wasn’t too hurt, because she understood better now. After thinking for some time, she saw Dahyun looking up at her. She looked so small, so sad, that Sana decided to forgive her. However, she didn’t miss the opportunity to tease her a bit.

“I think I will forgive you. . . if you kiss me.” Dahyun nodded earnestly, leaning forward to place a kiss on Sana’s cheek. Sana blushed. “I was just kidding!” She said, slightly shocked. Dahyun scoffed. “Fine. Next time I won’t do it.” Sana was quickly to protest. “No!” Dahyun laughed, then wrapped an arm around Sana.

“What do you think about telling your parents about. . . us?” Dahyun asked hesitantly. Sana was, again, surprised. “I. . . I think that’d be alright. I know they accept other people like us, and they always have Mina to produce an heir, you know?”

Sana thought about the idea. “That does sound good. I’d be able to kiss you anytime I wanted. And hold hands. And-” Dahyun blushed. “Alright, alright!” She smiled at Sana. “We can go tomorrow to talk to them about it. What do you think?” Sana nodded, excited about this new change.

She was about to press a kiss on Dahyun’s cheek when the door opened. Nayeon and Jeongyeon entered. Jeongyeon pretended to throw up, and Nayeon just sighed, dropping their bags on the floor.

After everyone entered, Nayeon looked accusingly at Jeongyeon. “Hey, did you take my bear shirt?” Jeongyeon shook her head. “The yellow one or blue one?” Nayeon huffed - “The yellow one!” Jihyo watched them exasperatedly. “What do you mean, the yellow one? I gave it to you last time!”

Nayeon gave up on the shirt, instead telling everyone, “She’s always been stealing my stuff since we were kids.” Jeongyeon denied it, and everyone laughed lightly. Tzuyu asked curiously, “Since you were kids?”

Jeongyeon nodded. “We’ve known each other for a - long time,” she snickered. Nayeon groaned. “Stop it! You promised not to talk about it!” Jeongyeon sighed regretfully. “Yeah, I did.”

The sleepover continued the way most sleepovers do - too much food, too little sleep. 3MIX got into a heated pillow fight trying to defend their respective forts. They played games and somehow Sana had candy in her room, a bunch of it, and they ate a small amount. Then, they opened the windows (even though it was cold outside) and talked until they fell asleep.

THE NEXT DAY. . .

After lunchtime, Sana and Dahyun were preparing to tell Sana’s parents, along with the King and Queen. Dahyun patted Sana’s back. “It’ll be fine, Sana,” she said. Sana nodded nervously, knocking on her parent’s door. They lived nearby in a separate wing of the castle. 

“Oh hello Sana!” Her mother pulled Sana into a hug. “What brings you here?” Sana smiled, glancing at Dahyun. “Can we talk to you and dad?” she asked. After they were all seated at the table, her parents obviously worried, Sana dropped the bomb without any delay.

“I’m gay, this is Dahyun, my girlfriend.” Dahyun wanted to facepalm mentally, but instead she blushed and laughed a weak, “Hi?” Her parents stayed silent, when her dad stood up and gave Sana a hug. “That’s great. I’m so happy for you, Sana.” Her mom nodded, holding Sana’s hand. “Thank you for telling us.” She then laughed. “But, if we’re being honest, we kind of knew.”  
Sana blinked. “How?” Her dad chuckled. “‘Dahyun plays pianos so well!’ ‘Guess what, dad, Dahyun nailed her concert yesterday!’ ‘Do you think Dahyun will like flowers or chocolate?’ ‘I really like Dahyun’s new hair color!’” 

Sana blushed. “Oh.” Her dad turned to Dahyun sharply. “And you!” Dahyun sat up a little straighter. “Princess Dahyun of Atmiser, eh?” He patted her shoulder. “Take good care of her.”

They reassured Sana that she didn’t have to produce an heir, obviously, and that they would support her, and that they would tell the royal court so Sana didn’t have to. They also gave Sana a lot of hugs. (Dahyun saw where she got her affectionate nature now.)

Sana was relieved, hanging onto Dahyun while they walked to tell the King and Queen. “Are you tired? We don’t have to do this all today,” Dahyun reassured her. Sana shook her head. “No, I want to. Better to get it over with,” she said, muffled into Dahyun’s shirt. She nodded. “Alright.”

The King and Queen were extremely enthusiastic (which Dahyun suspected was because they knew she was now a princess) and proceeded to tell them how fantastic it was. “Now Atmiser will have a unbreakable bond with Twiceland!” The King declared triumphantly. Sana and Dahyun flushed and the Queen laughed. “They aren’t getting married anytime soon!” she scolded her husband.

“And you just want the carpeting tax to get lowered.” He deflated a little bit, but then turned to Dahyun. “Oh yes! Dahyun, as a formal welcome, we heard from Mina that you’d like a dance crew?” Dahyun blanked. When had she said that? She did bring it up once to Sana. She realized Sana must’ve told Mina and then Mina had told her parents. Dahyun sputtered, “Well, it’s fine-”

“Nonsense! We’ve already hired some dancers,” Dahyun glanced at Sana exasperatedly. “And arranged for them to come next week,” Sana shrugged, “And it’ll make your piano performances more exciting!” Dahyun figured that all that was technically true, and she decided that protesting wouldn’t do any good, so she accepted it meekly.

NEXT WEEK. . .

Nayeon glanced at Jeongyeon. They had heard from Sana about how the King and Queen hired a dance crew for Dahyun, and now they were waiting for them to arrive.

The carriage stopped, and a woman stepped out rather clumsily. Watching her space out, Dahyun wondered who exactly the King and Queen had hired to be the leader of the dance crew. Finally, she realized that she was in front of royalty, and quickly tried to do a curtsy that changed into a bow midway. Dahyun giggled lightly, and stepped forward. “I’m Kim Dahyun,” she greeted.

The woman easily smiled, eagerly accepting the handshake. “Hi! I’m Hirai Momo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the RIP Saida arc! My apologies to all the saida fans. (Including me lol) We got to see some 2yeon backstory yayyy!! 
> 
> Anyways, drop a comment, I’m lonely :( 
> 
> Hope you all liked the update :D Next chapter may be up a little later than usual, sorry about that!


	8. Sana, You Alright?

Chapter 8 - Sana, You Alright?

Nayon glanced at Jeongyeon. 3MIX had been called into a meeting by General Chou. “Besides the congratulations you are all due for doing such a good job, there’s another opportunity I would like to present.” They were all focused, and he continued, “Our new batch of recruits this year seem promising. I would like all of your opinions on them - if any stand out to you.”

Jihyo glanced at the two, then said, “And?” General Chou laughed lightly. “You’re right, there is an ‘and.’ We’d like to arrange an informal sparring session with some of our more seasoned recruits and other members already in the military.”

“Two on two, right?” Nayeon asked jokingly. General Chou chuckled. “Two on two, three on three, or solo battles, it doesn’t matter.” Jihyo nodded. “When would this be?” General Chou pulled out a calendar, scanning over it. “In two weeks.” After looking at Nayeon and Jeongyeon, who nodded, Jihyo smiled. “Alright. Count us in.”

They walked side by side in the military headquarters, and stopped outside. Jihyo leaned against a pole. “So, this is just an annual event. We’ll do fine, but shouldn’t we practice some?” Jeongyeon replied, “Next weekend, then.” Suddenly, Nayeon spun around to face Jeongyeon. “I’ll beat you this time!” she declared. Jeongyen narrowed her eyes, saying, “What’s the score? 1347 to 1339?” Nayeon laughed. “I’m up by 8!” she declared happily. Jeongyeon snarled playfully and elbowed her. “Whatever!”

Watching the two bicker, Jihyo laughed.

AT THE PALACE. . .

“WOOOAH!” Dahyun watched as Momo did a cool dance. She turned out to be pretty cool (albeit clumsy) and Dahyun laughed as she tried to replicate the dance. “You’re doing pretty good!” Momo praised.

Dahyun walked forward a little bit, then said, “Watch this,” and she demonstrated her famous eagle dance. Laughing hysterically, Momo speculated Dahyun. Soon after, she joined in and they ended up rolling over in laughter.

After catching their breath, Dahyun asked Momo, “So what kind of music do you dance to?” Momo bowed. “Whatever you play.” Dahyun nodded appreciatively. “I usually mainly play classical.” Momo nodded excitedly. It was important for everyone with a career in the arts to have knowledge of classical music. “What’s your favorite composer?” 

Dahyun thought about it, then said, “Bach. He was like the founding father in baroque times and I think you need a thorough studying of him before playing other pieces well.” Momo nodded, listened attentively, and added her own opinions about Tchaikovsky and other composers.

After some talking, Dahyun realized it was around lunchtime. “Ah! Let’s go get lunch together.” Momo hesitated. “Are you sure? I’m supposed to eat downstairs,” she said. Dahyun scoffed loudly. “NONSENSE! Come on, the pork stew is calling us.” Looping their arms together determinedly, Dahyun dragged Momo towards the kitchen.

After grabbing their food, Dahyun found a nice spot on the patio outside. It seemed like just a few more weeks and all the flowers would bloom, and Dahyun watched as Momo ate her food quickly. She passed Momo some of her own food after she finished.

“So, where are you from?” Dahyun asked. Momo replied, “I’m from Atmiser, actually. The southern region.” Dahyun grinned. “Really?! That’s so cool!” Momo laughed, and said, “I actually visited the capital once. I saw you in a carriage! It was so cool since we’re similar in age.”

Dahyun laughed again. Talking to Momo was so easy - so straightforward, so instinctive. She didn’t have to plan her thoughts out, or overthink. It was incredible. After they finished their lunch, Dahyun clapped her hands. “Hey! Let’s go on an adventure!” Momo was confused. “But we have work. . .” Dahyun sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll have to go to the food fair all by myself then.”  
“Oh, that’s perfect! I’m free this afternoon!” Momo quickly declared, nodding enthusiastically. Dahyun laughed, yelling. “YAY! Let’s go!” 

They quickly bolted towards the front of the castle, and took a carriage. There were a few footmen there, and she said, “We’re going to the capital, we’ll be back this evening!” Dahyun pulled Momo into the carriage. “There’s a food fair going on right now, and afterwards we can eat dinner together, too!”

Momo squinted. “We just ate lunch. . . and then we’re going to a food fair for the afternoon to eat food. . . and then we’re going to eat dinner?” she asked. A bright grin spread across her face. “ALRIGHT!” she called excitedly. Dahyun was so caught up in the moment she had completely forgotten about. . .

Sana paced across her room. Usually Dubu would be here by now. It was around ten minutes later than they usually met up for lunch. She decided that maybe she got distracted while walking across the castle, so she went out to look for her.

She went first to the kitchen. “Hello Jisoo!” she called. The staff quickly greeted and bowed towards her. “Has Dahyun come here?” Jisoo frowned. “She came in here and got lunch for two - I assumed she had gotten lunch for you two today.” Sana frowned in response, but shrugged it off. “Thanks, I’ll keep looking for her.”

Walking towards the several rooms that they would eat lunch together in, she found all of them empty. Getting more confused, she walked to the other side of the castle. She was interrupted by seeing the head footman. “Oh! Mr. Seungkwan!” After he turned around, Sana asked him, “Have you seen Dahyun?” he shook his head but led Sana towards the footmen in front of the castle.

Again, she asked, and one of them spoke up. “Princess Dahyun lef’ just ‘a wahle ago. She done took a carriage faw two - said that’d she’d would be bak this evenin’ or sompent,” the footman said. Sana blinked, stunned. “Oh,” she said extremely quietly. She turned around.

As she was walking back towards her room, she felt a mixture of jumbled emotions. Dahyun had never missed anything before this, had always done whatever Sana asked. She felt upset, and - uneasy. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but as she gave a forced smile to Jeongyeon, and tried to distract herself, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“These tacos are so good!” Momo exclaimed, on her fifth one. Dahyun nodded, holding a bagel in her left hand and a cup of noodles in her right. “Here, try this lamb skewer,” she offered. She held out a lamb skewer and Momo leaned closer, tasting it. “Mmhm! Really good!” Momo said. 

Dahyun gasped dramatically. “StRing CANdy?” she said, pointing to a food stand. Momo followed where Dahyun was pointing and her eyes widened. They looked at each other and giggled, then made their way towards the stand. It was like a crystalized candy, and it was shaped into all sorts of animals.

Momo passed Dahyun an eagle one, and they laughed together again at that. Dahyun took a bite out of it, then offered it to Momo. Momo wanted to eat more of the candy, so she clung onto Dahyun’s arm. Together they weaved through the crowd.

Each stand was made of wooden platforms, a portable kitchen behind each one. The signs had colorful hand-painted signs on top, detailing each vendor’s name and product. The ground was made of thin gravel, and there were hundreds of these stands. There were also other attractions, including something foreign called a ferris wheel, and groups of magicians, fortune tellers, fiddlers, and other entertaining acts.

The sky was a vivid blue, and not a single cloud was found in the azure. There were sounds of birds chirping and the sun shined brightly. Thankfully, it was just warm enough to walk around in a light jacket.

Holding Momo’s hand, Dahyun pulled her towards a bench and sat down. “Try this - it’s an ice cream.” She gave Momo all the food that she had and draped a jacket over her. Momo smiled, enjoying the nice weather and having fun. Dahyun asked, “Let’s go on a short walk, do you want to?” Momo nodded, finishing her food.

MEANWHILE. . .

“Ryujin! Here, take this up to Princess Sana,” Lia said. She passed Ryujin a few blankets. Whispering and putting her head closer, Lia said, “I heard she’s in a bad mood. Apparently Princess Dahyun was caught in an affair.” Suddenly, out of nowhere, at least ten other staff members showed up.

“OH MY GOD!” Baekhyun exclaimed. “THEY WERE DATING?!” Jennie shook her head, saying, “You guys shouldn’t gossip so much,” and Hyunjin added disapprovingly, “She’s right.” However, this stopped absolutely no one - royal gossip was always a hot topic.  
“Even I knew they were dating,” Irene added. “I mean, Princess Sana isn’t exactly quiet about Dahyun.” After another disapproving glare from Hyunjin and Jennie, she quickly tried to remedy her words. “But you shouldn’t gossip.” She was quickly ignored as most all of the staff went towards Lia.

Lia was mildly surprised by the attention, but continued anyways. “They’ve been dating for some time - I only heard a rumor from the stableboy around a week ago. But guess what?!” The entire staff held their breath in anticipation, even Jennie, who was listening in (even though she had condemned the behavior).

“I heard from the footman - you know, Colzione, the scrawny looking kid, his friend works at the front of the castle, and they overheard Princess Sana telling the head footman that Dahyun had left without telling her!” A gasp of shock laced the crowd. “But that’s not all!” Everyone was completely invested in the story, Jisoo the only one still doing her work.

“Today was the day Princess Sana and Princess Dahyun were supposed to eat lunch together, but apparently Princess Dahyun left with the new dance crew leader!” Scandalized sobs could be heard all over the crowd. “And get this - Princess Sana still doesn’t know who left with Dahyun! She’s in her room, and no one knows if the Princess left on purpose or forgot.”

Jisoo facepalmed. That didn’t mean anything! Where in the story from Princess Dahyun forgetting to go to lunch did that lead to the conclusion that she was having an affair? And who even in the first place could confirm if the Princesses were dating?!

Ryujin quickly took the bundle of blankets. “I’ll go investigate!” She yelled heroically. Whoops of encouragement and excited shouting ensured. She held her head up high and walked dramatically towards the door, receiving pats of admiration on her back. “Farewell, my comrades!” she declared, and the staff applauded loudly.

Irene walked towards Jisoo. “I know. Just leave them,” she whispered exasperatedly.

A FEW MINUTES LATER. . .

“Princess Sana - my apologies, but here’s some blankets.” Ryujin put them in her Highness’ cabinet slowly, observing the princess. Sana sniffled quietly, facing the window. “Thank you,” she murmured. Ryujin turned to leave before the Princess’ voice stopped her. 

“Have you ever. . . ate ice cream?” Sana asked. She was quite hungry, and she didn’t really want to talk to anyone right now. Maybe she could eat some to cheer up. She had heard that it was very delicious. Ryujin shook her head. “I haven’t, Your Highness. I have heard from the others downstairs that it is very enjoyable.” Sana nodded. “Thank you. That’ll be all.”

Ryujin quickly skipped down the stairs, and slammed the door open. “SHE’S TOTALLY HEARTBROKEN!” After explaining (exaggerating) the situation, the entire staff was convinced, except for a select few. “I don’t understand,” Hyunjin said infuriatedly. Jennie shook her head, and continued to polish the vase she was holding.

AT THE FAIR. . .

It was near nighttime now, and Dahyun and Momo were riding the ferris wheel. “This is so awesome!” Dahyun exclaimed as they slowly rose up. Momo enthusiastically agreed, eating her fruit salad. “Did you know Chopin wasn’t a good public performer?” Dahyun blurted out unexpectedly. Momo nodded. “After several public performances, critics said that while he played fantastically, it was too quiet for the majority of the crowd to hear.”

Dahyun looked at Momo, eyes wide. “Aren’t classical composers so cool?” Momo asked offhandedly. Dahyun felt so happy in that moment to have a friend so knowledgeable that shared her interest in classical music. Of course she didn’t talk about that all the time, but when you’re really invested in a topic, everyone will listen to you, but no one will really understand. And Dahyun gets that - she doesn’t understand other people’s hobbies either, but it’s just so nice, so complete, with Momo.

And suddenly Dahyun is filled with an unexplainable feeling - a kind of happiness that was so filling, so wonderful, that she couldn’t help but smile fondly as she watched Momo finish her salad. So she switched sides on the small cart (and it jostled a bit, but she tried not to think about it) and swung an arm around Momo. Momo didn’t even bat an eye, quickly looping an arm around her waist as well.

Pointing to the sunset, Momo pointed to the sunset. “Look, Dubu! It’s so pretty from up here!” Dahyun tucked her head under Momo’s, looking towards the dusk. “Yeah, it is.”

AN HOUR LATER. . .

Sana sat in front of her dinner in her room. It was completely silent, and the darkness from outside had prompted her to close the window earlier, lighting all the candles and torches in her room. Jeongyeon had left this afternoon, (for some sparring, apparently) and she didn’t know whether staying by herself in solitude was a curse or a blessing.

Sana twirled her fork sadly, and the pasta plopped dejectedly onto the plate. Gazing remorsefully at the door, it, to her surprise, suddenly opened. Dahyun popped her head in energetically, waving to Sana. “Oh, hi!” Dahyun greeted, stumbling into the room.

Placing her jacket on the jacket stand, she hummed the beginning notes of La Campanella. Sana looked at Dahyun like a lost puppy, sitting still. “Why haven’t you eaten dinner yet?” Dahyun asked.

Sana frowned, furrowing her brows. Wait - it wasn’t possible, right? There was no way that -

Dahyun tilted her head. “Are you alright? You look a little pale,” she said, slightly worried. She sat down across from Sana, completely naive. Sana opened her mouth a little, entirely shocked. Surely she hadn’t - As Dahyun continued to look at Sana, confused, Sana realized it.

“You forgot,” she whispered, and suddenly Dahyun  
blinked slowly. Sana was wearing a magenta dress, head crooked and eyes wide, and it was probably the candlelight reflecting because she looked like she was on the verge of tears, and her hair was parted, and slightly messy, and abruptly Dahyun processed the tone of her voice, and she wanted to cry. 

It was so fragile, so weak, so vulnerable that Dahyun entirely forgot to breathe -

It hit her all at once, and she brokenly sighed, realization flashing through her eyes. “Oh. Lunch.” Dahyun laughed a little, apologizing, “Sorry, Sana! I forgot today, I hope it didn’t make you worry.” When she looked at Sana again, she immediately stopped smiling, seeing that Sana was still upset. “Aw, come on! We can have lunch tomorrow. It’s no big deal,” Dahyun cooed. Dana ignored her, saying instead, “Seven months. Seven months and you haven’t forgotten a single lunch.”

Dahyun was about to reply when Sana cut her off, voice dangerously cold. “Who did you leave with?” she asked. Dahyun blinked. How did Sana know she left? Dahyun shrugged. “You know Momo, the new dance crew leader?” 

Sana stiffened. “It’s been 5 hours since lunch,” she bit out bitterly, and Dahyun was hurt from the tone of voice. Sana had never talked to her rudely, not once in the year that she had known her, and this was an unpleasant change.

“We ate lunch and then went to the food fair,” Dahyun said, still confused. When she received no response, she elaborated. “First, we ate a lot of food - Momo has a big appetite, and - oh yeah! There was string candy, and that was really yummy, and then this magician created a rabbit from midair, it was so cool! And then we went on the ferris wheel, and the view was so nice. . .” Dahyun drifted off, watching Sana.

“Um, Sana? Are you alright? Did something happen today?” Sana held her fork a little bit harder, then released it. “Forget it,” she muttered, leaving the room, and leaving an extremely confused Dahyun.

Jisoo walked towards Princess Sana’s room with a jar of salt. The servants (Lisa) had forgotten to fill it up, and she quickened her pace. The door was slightly ajar, and before she could open it, she heard a conversation that she was not supposed to hear.

“Who did you leave with?” the Princess spoke, and the tone of it was so off, so frigid, that Jisoo had to first make sure it was Princess Sana, and after that she was so taken aback she forgot to actually open the door, and ended up hearing the reply. “You know Momo, the new dance leader?”

Wait. Wait a second. That was Dahyun’s voice, she was sure of it, and - Lia’s voice rang in her head.

‘Today the Princess Sana and Princess Dahyun were supposed to eat lunch together, but apparently Princess Dahyun left with the new dance crew leader!’

She turned around, silent and determined. Nope. Nope. Nope. She was not getting involved, and she sure as heck wasn’t going to listen anymore. She was already halfway towards the kitchen and staff room before she remembered the salt in her hand. Pausing in the hallway, she decided that Princess Sana didn’t need salt today, and continued her way to the staff room.

Once she got there, Irene looked at her strangely. “You alright?” she asked. Jisoo shook her head, and suddenly, with no explanation Lia appeared. “Ah - you went to Princess Sana’s room, and you still have the salt container. How curious.”

Jisoo was about to open her mouth to retort, but Sehun interrupted. “And my friend recognized Princess Dahyun at the fair today during lunchtime,” he sang. Suddenly Jennie appeared. Apparently she had taken back her vows to not gossip, because she then added, “My cousin’s roommate’s dad said that the other girl with her was Momo from the dance crew. He lived in Atmiser for the last decade.” 

Quickly, almost all the staff appeared, and Chaeryeong drew up a chair and popcorn, seemingly from nowhere.“Interesting. Continue,” she said.

Lia turned back to Jisoo nonchalantly. “So, what did you see?” Jisoo indignantly gasped. “I don’t have to tell you anything! And this - this is ridiculous!” she cried, loudly and impatiently. Wendy nodded, then said, “The fact that she’s so bothered means she definitely overheard something. I would wager that you saw our lovely court pianist there.” Before Jisoo could defend herself, they were already spiraling into their ridiculous theories about Princess Dahyun having an affair.

Finally, Jisoo couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed the salt container on the table aggressively, saying, “ENOUGH!” loudly. “They are the ROYAL FAMILY, and I will not tolerate this childishness!” she demanded firmly. “If I hear one more thing about Princess Sana or Princess Dahyun, I will personally escort you to the stable, where you will be sleeping for the rest of the month!” Jisoo glared at the entire room, watching the uncomfortable staff members.

Irene was the only one unfazed, and she took over. “Come on! We have dinner to clean up!” she bit out, and the occupants in the room quickly and silently started moving, with Hyunjin muttering a, “I told you so.”

After a few minutes had passed, Irene walked over to Jisoo. “Was it really that bad?” she murmured lowly. Jisoo grimaced, annoyed, and said, “How do these rumors spread so fast, and why are they so accurate?”

A DAY LATER, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY. . .

“Have you gotten better?!” Nayeon yelped. Jeongyeon grinned as she maneuvered towards the left side of Nayeon, since her sword was held in her right, and attempted a jab, in which Nayeon retreated back, gritting her teeth.

“Whoo, go Jeongyeon!” Jihyo called, quickly silencing herself when Nayeon glared her way. Nayeon shouted towards Jihyo, “YOU TRAITOR! I’LL BEAT YOU UP NEXT!” Jeongyeon then attempted a risky move, circling around to her back, and before she had a chance to respond, Jeongyeon jumped and kicked her head towards the dirt. (Note: Jeongyeon did it very gently, where Nayeon only flopped over and lost her balance.)

Jeongyeon grinned triumphantly. “HA! Who’s beating who now?” she asked smugly. “And I’ve won four times in a row, so that makes it 1347 to 1343,” she said, satisfied, until Nayeon was still unmoving. Jeongyeon immediately got worried, turning her over with a, “Nabongs?”

When she saw Nayeon’s grin, she knew something was off. Suddenly, she was vaulted backwards, crashing violently against a tree. “Haha! I don’t think so!” Nayeon declared. When she received no response, her heart jolted when she saw a streak of blood on Jeongyeon’s cheek. Jihyo was already making her way towards Jeongyeon, sprinting and tripping in her haste, a look of pure fear on her face. Nayeon opened her mouth silently.

“H-Hey - JEONGYEON!”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me after every chapter: sorry guys I might be late, I’m kinda behind on writing :(  
> Me two days later: . . . You won’t BELIEVE what I just finished -
> 
> Lol yeah here I am. This chapter was supposed to have less saida and more action but uh here we are :/ I’m being honest, I had big plans for 2yeon this chap but then they only got a snippet at the end and LOOK HOW THAT ENDED oh snap
> 
> Anyways guys, r u a mad saida fan? Leave a comment. A mad 2yeon fan? Leave a comment. A sad michaeng fan Bc they’re doing well but had no scenes together? LEAVE A COMMENT.
> 
> Hope you all are doing well, thanks for reading!!


	9. Jeongyeon’s Hospital Antics

Chapter 9 - Jeongyeon’s Hospital Antics

Sometime-somewhere, somehow, Jeongyeon had changed. Her bright smiles had dimmed, and she had stopped returning the flirtatious remarks they used to exchange. She had stopped indulging Nayeon in her stupid ideas, started instead just tolerating it, and Nayeon hated it.

God, she did, but how was she supposed to do anything with Jeongyeon being so - distant? And it was apparent now (painfully so) that Jeongyeon had no intention to talk to Nayeon.

But that wasn’t even vaguely on Nayeon’s mind. She stumbled across the hospital. It was brightly lit, windows completely open. The fresh sunlight beamed in, contrasting the darkness of the atmosphere inside. She found a bronze doorknob and tried to frantically push it open, cursing.

Jihyo quickly took Nayeon’s arm. “Wrong door,” she muttered, and Nayeon could only stay silent as violent trembles wracked her body. Jihyo opened the correct door this time, quickly but calmly, and it wasn’t even two seconds before Nayeon burst into tears.

She made no attempt to wipe them, instead collapsing to the floor loudly. “Nayeon!” Jihyo called, quickly helping her up and pushing her into a chair. Jihyo wasn’t sure whether to face the chair towards Jeongyeon - would that make her cry more? But it turned out it didn’t matter because Nayeon pulled her chair up to Jeongyeon and continued bawling.

Princess Mina poked her head through the doorway, a worried expression on her face. Jihyo saw, and making sure Nayeon was - as alright as she could be, she stepped outside, closing the door. Seeing that both the princesses were here, she sighed. “What happened?” Sana whispered hoarsely. “We heard from t-the guards,” Mina said shakily. Jihyo shook her head, saying, “Nayeon accidentally injured Jeongyeon a bit. She’s just overreacting, the doctors said that she would be fine.” They breathed a sigh of relief, then asked if they could enter. Jihyo hesitated. “Well, of course you can, but I don’t know if you would-”

“Nonsense!” Sana said, pushing open the door, then immediately gasping.

Jeongyeon looked like a complete wreck. Her head, along with most of her back and arms, were completely bandaged, and on the table next to her stood the bloody bandages that she assured the nurse had changed. She was completely still, and Sana resisted the urge to ask if she was breathing.

Nayeon had turned around to look at the Princesses, and immediately Sana smiled, trying to show Nayeon that it was alright. It didn’t work, however, as Nayeon turned back to Jeongyeon and continued her sobbing. 

Mina flinched and sat in a chair near the wall of the room. She turned to Jihyo. “Since you said Jeongyeon would be alright, I’m not too worried about her, but Nayeon. . . ?” Jihyo sighed, rubbing a hand against her forehead. “I know. Hopefully if Jeongyeon wakes up soon she’ll calm down.”

Two hours later, a pair of people were practically sprinting across the hospital, loudly stopping in front of the door. “538? Right?” One asked, before pushing the door open anyway, and seeing a strange scene.

Jeongyeon, who looked like a half-mummified ghost, and Nayeon, who was bawling her eyes out, and Jihyo, who was on the other side of Jeongyeon’s bed and gave them a small smile, then to Princess Mina who was reading a book, then towards Princess Sana who was glaring at Dahyun.

As Momo moved behind her, -ah. She wasn’t glaring at Dahyun. Dahyun quickly grabbed Momo’s hand and pulled her up to Jeongyeon’s bed. Dahyun put the vase of flowers on the table beside Jeongyeon's bed, then said, “I’m sorry we didn’t come earlier, we just heard, and here-” Momo approached next, placing a bowl of fresh soup on the table too.

Momo wailed, “Because she may be hungry! When she wakes up!” If the situation wasn’t so serious, Dahyun would have burst out laughing. Nayeon looked up at them, sniffling. “Thank you, Dahyun. I’m sure she would’ve liked those flowers. And you too, Momo. She - she really liked beef sou-” she couldn’t even finish her sentence as she continued bawling, even louder this time, which was impressive.

Jihyo quickly sighed and draped a blanket over Nayeon. She turned to Dahyun and Momo. “We’ll wait outside,” Dahyun said. “Please get us if she wakes up,” she asked, and Jihyo nodded. Dahyun and Momo then proceeded to leave.

Sana grumbled and shifted her blanket. Mina looked over at her curiously. Sana mumbled, “She didn’t even say hi to me,” and Mina smiled. Just Sana being Sana. However, everyone was interrupted at a shifting from the bed.  
Nayeon’s head shot up, eyes widening and mouth opened, completely still. Jeongyeon started coughing, then finally opened her eyes, and Nayeon thanked whatever divine deity that had allowed for this miracle, but she quickly took it back as Jeongyeon spoke. “Who. . . who are you?” she asked.

Nayeon’s heart stopped. Completely stopped. She had never imagined this possibility. Had she really hurt Jeongyeon this bad? God, what was she going to tell her? She couldn’t deal with it, a sharp pain shooting across her chest and fresh tears springing to her eyes. 

And it seemed like time froze, because she was looking at Jeongyeon, and she wasn’t sure if it was seconds or hours, but then Jeongyeon coughed again, and - oh my god. Was she laughing?

She was. Granted, it sounded like a wounded animal, and Jihyo scolded, “You shouldn’t tease her!” Jeongyeon looked back towards Nayeon, who was still confused. She looked so cute, red-faced and crying and confused, that Jeongyeon was about to tell her that, but she quickly looked away, instead saying annoyed, “Your loud crying woke me up. And stop talking like I’m dead.” 

Hearing that, Nayeon wailed again, sputtering a, “You could hear me?” Jeongyeon sighed, then turned to Jihyo. “Why is she crying?” Jeongyeon asked. Jihyo shrugged, and Jeongyeon turned back to Nayeon. “It’s alright, Nabongs. See? I’m perfectly fine,” she comforted.

Nayeon continued sobbing. “B-but you’re all bandaged and I p-pushed you-” Jeongyeon smiled, attempting to sit up. “Hey, it’s alright. See these bandages?” she rolled the ones on her arm off, then waved it around. “See? I’m all fine.” Nayeon looked doubtful, eyes still filled with tears, ready to cry at a moment’s notice.

“And you were supposed to. It was my fault, I should’ve been more careful. It was just an accident, Nabongs.” Nayeon looked at Jeongyeon, brainly seemingly not working. “It was just an accident?” Jeongyeon nodded, as if talking to a baby. “You don’t hate me? You don’t want me to leave forever?” Jeongyeon shook her head violently, cradling Nayeon’s face tenderly. “No, Nabongs. Never.” She said it with such sincerity that - one, Nayeon believed her, and two, she started crying again. 

Jeongyeon smiled, then said gently, “Nabongs, why don’t you go outside? Get some water. Calm down a little bit.” Nayeon nodded, hiccuping periodically, and stood up shakily. Walking out the door, Jeongyeon stayed still for a total of three seconds before collapsing on the bed, whole body shaking.

Jihyo immediately rushed to her side, holding her up, and the Princesses stood next to her. Mina, who was the only one thinking rationally, passed Jihyo a towel. “Back - hurts,” Jeongyeon coughed. Literally coughed. She coughed blood all over the towel, arms shaking. Jihyo cursed as she cleaned it all up. Sana quickly stood up, leaving the room to get a nurse.

Jihyo placed a hand on Jeongyeon’s forehead, cursing again. “Shit, Jeong! You’re burning up,” she hissed, dampening a towel with water and putting it on Jeongyeon’s forehead. Jeongyeon winced, wiping her mouth and tasting iron. Mina worriedly paced around, gathering more towels. Sana came back with a nurse and some medicine, which the nurse gave to Jeongyeon.

“She has a high fever. Why didn’t you get someone sooner?” The nurse asked. Jeongyeon glared at her. “I’m fine.” The nurse shook her head, denying it, retorting, “Young lady, you are in bad condition and I am going to get a doctor-” Jeongyeon’s eyes darkened. “You are not,” she hissed. “In fact, if you say anything to anyone, I will personally get you fired.” The nurse tensed up as Jihyo scolded, “Jeongyeon!” Jeongyeon shot another glare towards the nurse.

Nayeon entered again, breaking the tension in the room. Jeongyeon immediately threw the towel she was holding to the other side of the room, glancing at Nayeon to make sure she hadn’t seen. Nayeon immediately looked at the nurse pleadingly, asking, “Is she alright?” 

The nurse stiffened. ‘She has a high fever, unbearable back pain, and a disoriented headspace, in addition to her nearly immobile arms.’ However, she was sharp. She caught what was going on, unfortunately. So she smiled, saying, “Of course.” And she was sure that it sounded fake to everyone else in the room, but if this small looking rabbit kid was satisfied, the scary idiot in the bed would be fine too so she left, seeing the idiot give her a thankful glance.

Mina looked incredulously at Jihyo, who was stone-faced, although she looked like she was about to throw up. Sana had busied herself with her book again, and fumbled with the pages. Mina was about to protest when Jihyo said, “That’s right, Princess Mina! We should go get Dahyun,” and before Mina knew it, she was outside in the hallway.

“What the heck?” Mina whispered angrily. Jihyo shook her head, pained. “I’ll try to get her a doctor soon,” she said, and Mina was filled with fury. “Your friend is in the hospital, in horrible condition, and you’re just letting her - pretend she’s alright?! What’s wrong with you?!” Mina asked, voice half mad and half scared. 

Jihyo turned her gaze downward. “If Jeongyeon wants to do it this way, I’ll listen to her.” Mina gaped, completely dumbfounded. Jihyo looked away, staring outside of the window. “It’s not right, but I kind of understand Jeongyeon. Nayeon’s already freaking out, and to her Jeongyeon isn’t even that hurt.” Mina shook her head, furious but helpless. “This is so, so stupid!” she said, before walking down the hallway determinedly.

Jihyo quickly followed her. “Where are we going?” Mina looked at her, still mad, but defeated. “To get Dahyun.”

Jeongyeon ended up staying at the hospital for around a week, which consisted of - Jihyo telling Nayeon that the doctors just wanted to make sure her condition was stable, Jeongyeon trying her best to look ‘perfectly fine’ as she called herself, and Nayeon’s endless fussing over her. Bringing her water, reading her books, talking to her, patting her head (which Jeongyeon definitely did not like and wanted her to stop immediately) and a series of other gestures.

The bystanders were all sick with worry. Mina would watch with silent, but furious contempt every time Jeongyeon did her best not to cough, Sana would sigh and read another book, Dahyun and Momo would pop in periodically (both naive to Jeongyeon’s real condition) and Tzuyu even came once during the week, to give Jeongyeon some flowers, tea, and a card.

Jeongyeon had made a full recovery (although she denied ever being sick in the first place) and everything seemed to go back to normal, thankfully. Jihyo still didn’t like being around Mina (because of the latter’s disapproval), and Nayeon seemed overwhelmed with guilt, (even after Jeongyeon’s relentless reassurances), but, overall, no real harm was done.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Dahyun started the first notes of Fantaisie Impromptu, loud octaves that softened down to create an entrance for the smooth first passage of the polyrhythms, breathing deeply before her right hand crossed two octaves higher and then back. Momo was on her right, and it was hard for Dahyun to stop laughing.

It wasn’t that what Momo was doing was funny, she was just giddy. After she messed up a few measures on the second page, she stopped and looked at Momo. Momo, confused, asked, “What are you doing?” Dahyun waved at her, saying, “Sorry, I just got carried away.” Dahyun steadied herself, then started again.

For Fantaisie Impromptu, the pedaling had to be subtle and refined. Since the piece was so fast, the pedal had to be changed quickly, but not sharply. If you tried to change it too fast, you would cut off or blur some notes.

Aiming for a clear sound, she glided over the measures she had previously made a mistake on. Heading into the second melody, she reminded herself to create better dynamics. She slowed down slightly, the barest hint of rubato, then sped up again, crescendoing. She reminded herself not to get too caught up in the music, and pedaled gently. With the higher notes, they had to have a bit of ring to them, and while that was hard to do without considerably slowing down, she managed to do it as best she could.

After repeating the general first page, she started to speed up, ending with a loud chord. Then, she quickly raised her hands up high, then slammed them down in a chromatic scale, going down the length of the piano. After a dark, heavy passage, she slowed down, the piece now reaching it’s slow, lazy middle.

During this time, she watched Momo dance. Dahyun smiled widely. A lot of times, the dance would echo the piece, but with Momo it was like the dance and the piece co-existed, and while at first Dahyun was doubtful of Momo’s skills (due to her clumsiness and endearing air-headed nature) after she had witnessed her in action, all of the doubt was erased and replaced with a respect only a fellow musician or artist could receive.

The slow passage coming to an end, the first quick segment repeated itself, and Dahyun descended into it with grace and clarity, swiftly maneuvering through the piece until at last the final note rang through the room.  
Dahyun kept her hands lifted for a good five seconds and Momo stayed still for nearly the same amount of time - another thing Dahyun liked about Momo.

Dahyun had been taught (well, actually when she was playing with an orchestra, the conductor had told the violinists) that after a performance, you needed to let the final note ring - it was the frame of the music. The piece - the performance, was a painting, and after you finished, the audience would let out a breath of awe, and during that, you needed to frame your painting, to let it ring through the silence.

That advice had stuck with her, and during her practices she had kept it in mind. After her first concert, she had thought about it backstage. The conductor also said that if you framed it that way, you had to make sure that you were completely proud of your piece. So Dahyun had, and every performance afterward she had done that too - it was proper etiquette. And now, in practices, with Momo, she did it too - subconsciously, she guessed. It was a good habit.

And she liked Momo even more because she seemed to have the same thinking as her, the same flawless coordination. And after the near-five seconds, Dahyun broke into a grin, pumping her fist in the air and enthusiastically whooping. 

Momo had grown fond of the younger girl after meeting her, and had quickly warmed up to her. Therefore, it wasn’t even a second thought as Momo ran up to her and kissed her cheek. “Good job!” she praised, and Dahyun blushed.

Upstairs, Sana sneezed. “Achoobababa!” She blinked. She had been feeling weird the last few minutes, although she couldn’t place her finger on why.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY. . .

Jihyo followed Tzuyu towards her room. It was her second day back after Jeongyeon was released from the hospital, and apparently General Chou had made an appearance here - the first time in many weeks, she regarded with disgust. How could one leave their own child alone for so long? She didn’t know, but it made her blood boil.

It was, somehow, still extremely awkward being around Tzuyu. She didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t tell what she was thinking. And the fact that she was so quiet made it worse. Tzuyu, distracted, gestured for Jihyo to sit down.

Tzuyu then started, “As you know, father just came yesterday.” Jihyo poured them some tea, and Tzuyu continued, with, “He has some business dealings in northern Atmiser.” Jihyo nodded, not really understanding where the conversation was going.

After a long silence, Jihyo sipped her tea. “I’ve been cooped up in this house for a long time,” Tzuyu said, and slowly Jihyo nodded, confused. A few minutes passed, again, and glanced at Tzuyu, who was still staring at her. Suddenly, she put her teacup down, gears turning.

Jihyo finally realized what Tzuyu was trying to say. “Ah! I see. Well, that’s great! When will we leave?” she asked. Tzuyu shook her head. “You’re not going. The trip will take around two months.” Jihyo was surprised, but she nodded. So they would be back late May. That was good to know. “We’re leaving in a week,” Tzuyu said quietly. Jihyo nodded again, feeling speechless. In general, being with Tzuyu was kind of awkward.

“Alright.” Jihyo quickly remembered something. “Oh yeah, the sparring session is tomorrow. I’ll have to take a day off-” she was cut off by Tzuyu shaking her head. “No need, I’m going too.” Jihyo smiled. “Okay. With Nayeon and Jeongyeon. . . in an unsure status, I’m going to have to step up.”

THE DAY AFTER. . .

“JIHYO YOU CAN’T MAKE ME GO, I’M NOT GOING, THIS IS DUMB, I WANT TO LEAVE!” Jihyo facepalmed, gesturing outside, and yelled, “THE KING, QUEEN, GENERAL CHOU, AND THE LITERAL ENTIRE PALACE ALONG WITH HALF THE MILITARY ARE HERE!” Nayeon sniffled, shaking her head. “I’m not going!” she declared.

Jeonyeon sighed, watching the two bicker. She fixed her boot strap then walked past Nayeon. “The first battle is a two vs two, if you’re not going me and Jihyo will leave now.” Nayeon quickly changed. “NO! Jeongyeon, you can’t go, this is too dangerou-” Jeongyeon turned around and slammed Nayeon against the wall. “News flash,” she growled lowly, “this is our job.”

Nayeon blinked. Jeongyeon looked down at her, then said demandingly, “You’re scared. You shouldn’t be, but you’re scared. I already told you, it was an accident. There’s nothing to forgive.” Jeongyeon moved back slightly, not being so intense. “And if you want to help me, then go out with me.”

Nayeon blinked, then thought about it for a while. “A-Alright,” she agreed quietly.

A FEW MINUTES AGO. . .

The tent was filled with dust and the scent of sand and blood. It was barely lit, a half-lit torch in a corner providing the most of the light. Dusty books and a small wooden table were scattered around the tent, along with stools by the side.

Jihyo looked outside, seeing the large training field, along with the stands that held the spectators. She walked back inside the tent, watching Nayeon pout. After her and Jeongyeon both yelled at her, she was relieved Jeongyeon made some progress with Nayeon, at least.

“And if you want to help me, then go out with me,” Jeongyeon demanded. Jihyo's jaw dropped. ‘WAIT A SECOND!’ she mentally protested. ‘THIS ISN’T THE TIME!’

“Alright,” Nayeon replied, and Jihyo turned to look at her incredulously. She sputtered, “Wait a second!” Jeongyeon turned to her, confused, and said, “Oh, did you want to fight first?”

Jihyo gaped, mouth open like a fish, until she finally, finally understood what had happened. Blushing in embarrassment, “No, I’m fine,” she yelped. Jeongyeon then nodded, gesturing to Nayeon. “Come on, then.”  
They stepped out into the field, where loud cheers awaited them. Jeongyeon glanced at Nayeon, and smiled at her. “You got this, Nabongs.” She put her helmet on, walking out into the field. She shook her arms and legs abit, then stretched. After taking her sword out experimentally a few times, she waited for Nayeon.

Jeongyeon stepped forward and bowed. The two that were facing them were rather tall, she mused. They looked sturdy and well built, which meant, she glanced over at Nayeon, tapping her hand against her leg two times and then moving her feet slowly once. Nayeon gave an indistinct nod, and Jeongyeon turned her attention back to the fight.

Jihyo watched, amused and curious, as she watched Jeongyeon give the signals she was smart enough to figure out were signals, but not smart enough to figure out what they actually meant. The referee blew his whistle and the match started.

As soon as it did, she already knew the opponents didn’t stand a chance, but it was still fun watching them struggle anyway.

Nayeon took the left side, splitting up. Her and Jeongyeon always moved at exactly the same speed during fights, and whether that was a trait they had trained, or did subconsciously, she wasn’t sure of. 

Although she was reserved, still from - before, she made sure to show no outward hesitation. She tripped the first guy on the left, and she was sure Jeongyeon on the other side was taking care of the other one. They met up again, now having done 180 around the opponents.  
Jeongyeon leaned forward, and Nayeon instinctively stepped back slightly, using their Third Form.

Usually, Jeongyeon would then either do one of three things; charge forward, spin towards the left or right and take them on one by one, or wait for Nayeon to make a move. Jeongyeon glanced at Nayeon, then moved the slightest to the left.

Nayeon understood, stepping forward and parrying the blows that the two opponents threw. She moved fast, her sword slashing around with an impossible grace and accuracy. Her movements were precise to the millimeter, and she wasted no time or extra movement, only doing what was necessary to keep them at bay.

Jeongyeon had vanished, and Nayeon got some of her own attacks in occasionally, throwing around her sword like it was a chew toy, making sure to keep the two men occupied. Suddenly, Nayeon felt it in the air - a subtle, yet complete shift, and she relaxed, instinctively just knowing precisely when and where Jeongyeon would strike, so she took a step back towards her left and watched as -

BAM! Jeongyeon took down the swordsmen, both now unconscious on the floor. Nayeon had missed Jeongyeon’s sword by no more than five inches from her nose, but she was completely unfazed. The referee checked the pulse of both of the men, and afterwards declared Nayeon and Jeongyeon the winner. Jeongyeon nodded, and after bowing towards the stands, they made their way back to the tent.

Jihyo nodded appreciatively, all three of them standing right outside of the tent. “Good work. That was fast,” she commented. Nayon gave a high-five to Jeongyeon and Jihyo. “Good luck, Jihyo!” she called as Jihyo left to prepare her for her next battle.

Nayeon narrowed her eyes at Jihyo, looking at the opponent. “Ah, I’ve heard about her. Apparently she’s a bit of a legend around the training camps,” Nayeon said. Jeongyeon tilted her head. Nayeon continued with, “She’s called the Vicious Viper because-” Jeongyeon burst out laughing, saying, “Who has a name like that?”

Nayeon was offended, trying to explain. “Because she strikes like, well, a viper-’ Jeongyeon interrupted with her laughter, saying, “Well, I bet you fifty cens that Jihyo can win in under five minutes.” Nayeon laughed, saying, “I’ll give her ten.” They smugly watched Jihyo.

Dahyun sat next to Sana, holding an ice cream. “Want one?” Dahyun asked, passing Sana hers. Sana took a bit, humming at the pleasant taste. “Oh, I’ll be right back,” Dahyun said. Sana watched sadly as Dahyun left. Mina leaned over, saying exasperatedly, “I get that you want to show her off, but honestly can you keep it down?” 

Sana stuck her tongue out rebelliously, whispering, “You’re just jealous because Chaey-” Mina put a hand over Sana’s mouth, blushing. “Shush!” she scolded.  
Meanwhile, Dahyun went over to the ice cream stand and got a chocolate one. She quickly walked towards the other side of the stands, passing by the servants. “Hi guys!” she greeted, and various responses were heard. She then sat next to Momo, grinning. “I told you I’d get you one,” Dahyun passed the ice cream to Momo, her face lighting up at the sight. 

Dahyun laughed seeing Momo’s face. “You look cute,” she said, and Momo blushed. Her hair was ruffled from the wind, and she was wearing an objectively adorable shirt, Dahyun defended.

Hyunjin, and Jennie, coincidentally the ones closest to Dahyun, were now coughing up their tea, Hyunjin hacking up his bagel he had for breakfast. He gave a shocked glance to Jennie, who looked equally distressed. Irene, who was sitting next to the two, gave them a worried look. “Um, are you two alright?”

Hyunjin wiped his mouth. “FINE,” he deadpanned, Jennie staring out into space. ‘How could Princess Dahyun do this?’ she wondered, feeling betrayed. ‘I can’t believe I was the only one defending Princess Dahyun and yet here she is-‘ Hyunjin thought aggressively.

Back at the ground, Jeongyeon and Nayeon were playing yet another game of Uno. Nayeon smirked triumphantly. “It’s been over five minutes already,” she teased. Jeongyeon scowled, muttering, “Whatever!” Jeongyeon laughed arrogantly as she placed a plus two down. “UNO!” she declared. Nayeon smiled evilly, barking,“NOT SO FAST!”

She put down a wild plus four, stacking it to make plus six. Jeongyeon paled, then growled. “What?! We’re not stacking this game!” Nayeon shook her head violently, retorting, “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course we are!” Jeongyeon shook her head, voice raising, and said, “Nabongs, we specifically agreed NOT to stack two weeks ago-” Nayeon stuck her tongue out, then yelled, “TWO WEEKS AGO! Not today!”

Before their argument could further escalate, Jihyo plopped down next to them. Nayeon glanced lazily at her, saying, “Jeong, you owe me!” Jihyo shook her head, pale. “I lost.”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol did I give 2yeon shippers a heart attack in the middle there? Hahahahaha. Hope you guys enjoyed the update, next chapter will have some action! 
> 
> Drop a comment if you liked! Hope you all are having a good day.
> 
> (I’m kinda having a sucky day but I’m going to eat ramen later so I hope it gets better :D)


	10. Oaths and Vows Unbroken, Part 1

Chapter 10 - Oaths and Vows Unbroken

As it turned out, neither Nayeon or Jeongyeon won back their money (since they had mistakenly assumed Jihyo would win no matter what), but the good news was that none of them lost a battle after that. Thankfully. Nayeon and Jeongyeon didn’t miss any chance to tease her, though.

“You thought we were going to lose, but look at you,” Nayeon scoffed. Jihyo frowned, embarrassed. Jeongyeon shook her head in displeasement, adding, “Yeah, I can’t believe this.”

Hopefully the whole ordeal was forgotten because the King and Queen congratulated them (maybe their performance afterward had made up for it), the servants were in awe, and while Sana and Mina were praising them, General Chou shot a dirty look at Jihyo, and she gulped nervously.

Nayeon snickered and laughed at her.

A WEEK LATER. . .

Lisa mimicked Jeongyeon with a frying pan. “I’m serious, unnie! She was like - kaPAW!” she waved the pan around, narrowly missing Rose. “And like WAPONG!” she swung the pan, too heavily, and it crashed into the counter. Rose sighed and put the pan up, going to the other room to take a break.

As soon as she entered, Felix and Changbin were running around frantically. Rose looked at them exasperatedly, walking towards Jennie and asking, “What are they - ?!” Jisoo caught her eye and facepalmed. “Ignore them,” she suggested. “Apparently they’re mimicking Sir Nayeon and Sir Jeongyeon.” Irene came up, standing behind Rose and Jennie.

“Honestly, it’s like instead of being your boss, me and Jisoo are your babysitters.” A flash of horrible realization struck the both of them, Jisoo turning around, outraged, “THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE!” in a strangled whisper.  
Ignoring the snickering of Rose and Jennie, the bosses had discovered a newfound horror.

IN THE CASTLE. . .

Tzuyu was leaving later today, and Nayeon and Jeongyeon were excited to spend more time with Jihyo. So, they went to a park by themselves. Why? Who knows.

At the park, Nayeon and Jeongyeon walked alongside each other, Jeongyeon nonchalantly observing the view, and Nayeon observing Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon turned to look at a flower, then said, “You weren’t yourself in the fight. With the military trainees.” Nayeon quickly turned to look at her, nibbling her lower lip. “Sorry,” she mumbled, and quickly Jeongyeon looked over her shoulder, walking towards her and holding one of her hands gently.

“Shit. Don’t apologize, please. I’m sorry I brought it up - it was just something I noticed,” Jeongyeon explained, feeling guilty. Nayeon slowly nodded, and Jeongyeon pointed to the small forest ahead of them. “Doesn’t that look like the place where we met?” she asked. Nayeon narrowed her eyes, saying, “You say that about every forest we ever see! Heck, any tree!” Jeongyeon snickered, putting an arm around Nayeon.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic! I can still remember the events of that day. . .”

YEARS AGO. . .

Jeongyeon walked through the brush, carefully scanning for any wild animals that might appear. This particular forest was around an hour walking from the last town she had visited. She quickly snuck towards the river, hearing the low gurgle of the stream. Breathing in the fresh spring air, she suddenly heard a violent splash.  
Eyes widening, she stood up and looked ahead of her, where there was a large bundle splashing and flailing around in the middle of the river. 

Quickly running up, it dawned on her that this was a person. With no hesitation, she dove into the river, grabbing one of their arms. Apparently getting the message, the bundle stopped wildly flapping around, instead allowing herself to get pulled by the bank.  
The small person let out a gasp, coughing loudly. Jeongyeon took off her light jacket and laid it in the sun. While it was wet it would just make her colder. Leading the girl towards the sunny side of a tree, she gently pulled her down and sat next to her. “Are you alright?” Jeongyeon asked.

The girl sputtered out some more water, then snarkily said, “Do I look alright?!” Jeongyeon wiped some water off her forehead, delicately brushing the water away. “You’re very pretty,” Jeongyeon stated. The girl blushed. After the girl stopped shivering for a while, Jeongyeon took her jacket (now dry) and draped it over the smaller girl.

“So. . . you don’t know how to swim?” the girl shook her head. Jeongyeon looked at her ridiculously, “Then what were you doing near a river? You had to have come here intentionally - there's not another river in this forest for miles!”

The girl blushed again, adamantly refusing to admit why she was there. Finally giving up, Jeongyeon saw that it was late afternoon. “You should probably go back to your home,” Jeongyeon suggested. The girl shook her head, saying, “I’m an orphan.” Jeongyeon frowned. “Oh.”  
After a few minutes, Jeongyeon pulled her up. “Come on then. I have a little house not far from here.” She had already started walking when she realized the girl wasn’t following her. She glanced behind her, seeing the sad, bunny-like girl look at the ground.

Something in her heart twisted at seeing the small thing become so sad, and she instinctively had an urge to protect it at all costs. She quickly walked up to the girl, draping an arm around her. “I’m lonely by myself anyways. You can be my roommate.” 

The girl looked up at her doubtfully. Jeongyeon held her closer and started to make their way towards her makeshift house. A few minutes before they arrived, Jeongyeon laughed. “Oh, my name’s Jeongyeon, by the way.” The girl smiled hesitantly, then said, “I’m Nayeon.”

For weeks she lived there, and it was like paradise. Jeongyeon never once said anything rude or neglected her, instead spending every moment doting on her and making sure she had everything she wanted. Nayeon had slowly come out of her shell, and goddamnit, Jeongyeon was so proud when Nayeon gave her a toothy smile because she knew it was because of her.

The house that they had lived on was small, but very cozy. It had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen, along with a living room, although the only thing in the living room was a fireplace and a few chairs. The house was on top of a hill, and there was a well at the bottom of it, and the forest that they had met in was perfect for gathering berries or other types of foods.

It was like a page out of a storybook; Nayeon rarely saw other people, besides a passing merchant or traveler, and they never went to a town. Nayeon had no interest, anyway. Staying with Jeongyeon was more than enough for her.

Every morning she would wake up to the smell of whatever food Jeongyeon felt like cooking that particular day, and she would hop over to the kitchen to give Jeongyeon a gummy smile, and she would fondly laugh. Then, they would eat breakfast together, with the window open.

Afterwards, she would accompany Jeongyeon to do the laundry. They hung their clothes on a clothesline: or, rather, Jeongyeon did. Nayeon would frolic in the grass, point at butterflies, or tell Jeongyeon about the latest book she had read, and Jeongyeon would listen. Occasionally, if she felt like it, she would throw clothes to Jeongyeon lazily.

Afterwards, they would take a walk to gather fruit and occasionally find a rabbit or some other small animal in one of their traps that they put. They would then go back to the house to eat lunch. Afterwards, the afternoon sun was the best time of day. Nayeon would take a short nap, or play with Jeongyeon in the living room. They would sometimes read a book together or sew something.

Before dinnertime, Jeongyeon would take out some ‘fancy food’ and Nayeon called it, and prepare a delicious dinner, and they would eat quietly. Afterwards, they might climb up to a cliff to stargaze, or go on another walk, or ride bicycles around the few country roads that were near them, or - or -

But the important thing was that every night Nayeon would go to sleep watching Jeongyeon happily, and, God, if that wasn’t the only thing Jeongyeon wanted.

Where did they get the fancy meat, the bicycles, and the books? Jeongyeon would go to the market every two or three weeks. It took two days, as the time it took to get there was a few hours. There was a bookkeeper Jeongyeon had made friends with that let her switch out five or so books every time she went, keeping a fresh library in their house. She would also take berries, herbs, or bird feathers to trade for the fancy meat.

Luckily for them, the forest they lived next to had many strange birds, and they would often drop feathers. There were so many berries that they would usually have leftovers, and she would trade things like rabbit skin too. And every few months she would save up enough to buy something semi-practical, like a bicycle. She had also gotten a hula hoop, a collection of spinny toys, and a recorder. The latter which she regretted.

It was more than half a year of this heaven before it all came crashing down. A wildfire, they said. How, no one was sure. It was autumn, and unfortunately the house was too close to the forest. Nayeon had woken up that night to the smell of burning ashes, and a panicking Jeongyeon, who had immediately pretended she was calm.

Grabbing a backpack, Jeongyeon scooped up Nayeon and quickly made their way outside. Jeongyeon rode on a bicycle, with Nayeon holding onto her (still very confused) and they had rode to the nearest road, illuminated by both the devil’s fire and the silver moonlight. Nayeon had started crying, and Jeongyeon had said, “Don’t look.” Nayeon had then said something that stuck with them both that night.

“I can’t just look at whatever I want and ignore everything else that’s convenient, Jeong!” So Jeongyeon had stopped the bike and turned to look one final time at the house that was still burning. She held on to Nayeon tightly, thankful for once in her life that she was a light sleeper.

They had made their way towards the town, and thankfully the bookkeeper gave them a room to try and sleep in. In the morning, the harsh reality dawned on them. Nayeon had cried, then asked Jeongyeon quietly if she was going to leave now. Jeongyeon’s heart broke at the question, and she had denied it, assuring her that whatever happened now that they would stick together, no matter what.

What actually happened was that they heard of a grouchy old man that lived a few hours away - apparently, he was extremely smart. Jeongyeon had always known that for Nayeon and her to have a chance at getting a good job financially, they needed a real education.

So they headed there, and he accepted them as students, thankfully, but the thing was they had no idea he was actually a martial artist. They were waken up with a punch to the stomach the next day, and well, as they say, the rest was history.

Thankfully, in the backpack, Jeongyeon had stored valuables, including all the extra savings they had, and some other things. The money turned out to be enough to buy them actual academic classes, (which, after Teacher found out about, he paid for full) and books and all of that.

Their bond was unbreakable, and their training reflected that. In a few years, they were polished and perfected to an insane amount. They had then met Jihyo (which is a story for another day) and then they went to the Twiceland military to try out, and we all know how that ended up.

BACK TO THE PRESENT. . .

Nayeon scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I was NOT drowning!” she said defensively. Jeongyeon smiled indulgently. “If you say so.” After finishing their walk, they took a carriage towards General Chou’s house.  
Nayeon slammed open the door, with a bright, “HELLO EVERYONE!” Jihyo watched with disgust as Nayeon strutted out, and Tzuyu laughed quietly. Jeongyeon sighed, trying to calm Nayeon down, and then congratulated Tzuyu. “Dahyun’s said lots of nice things about Atmiser - I’m sure you’ll enjoy the trip,” she said kindly.

The four of them had talked the whole afternoon, and then Nayeon and Jeongyeon had to leave. “Bye, Miss Tzuyu!” Before they knew it, it was nighttime. Jihyo helped Tzuyu carry her bags towards the carriage. Jihyo gave a smile towards Tzuyu. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy the trip. Have fun,’ Jihyo said. Tzuyu nodded, smiled back, and sat on the stairs. Jihyo went back to Tzuyu’s room, checking one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

A frantic knock at the door alerted her. A servant poked her head through the door, on the verge of tears. “Sir Jihyo, Miss Tzuyu is missing -” Jihyo scrambled down the stairs, sprinting towards the steps where Tzuyu was just a minute ago.

In her place was a note - Jihyo picked it up and read it.  
‘Five hundred thousand cenz for the return of your daughter. East side of the Leaping Waterfall by midnight. Send in a messenger, alone and unarmed.’

Jihyo gave it five seconds before she yelled, “A HORSE! NOW!” The panicked stableboy held up the reins of a horse and Jihyo quickly took it. There was no time to contact the general - four hours until midnight - and she knew very well that he didn’t have five hundred cenz. In fact, even if she could somehow get Nayeon and Jeongyeon to help too, it wouldn’t be fast enough.

Even the royal family - it was doubtful they had that much money just lying around. She knew that all of their expenses were at the Royal Bank - which was a two hour ride on horseback, and by the time she could get it, it would be too late, and - shit!

She urged the horse to go faster, cursing. She barely understood the geography of this area - but she knew it would at least be an hour before she would arrive.  
How could she have been so stupid? It wasn’t even ten minutes - ten minutes and Tzuyu was gone. No doubt the - kidnappers - had taken a shortcut. Jihyo had enough training to know that people familiar with forests could move ridiculously fast within them.

Jihyo had fought in battles thousands of times before - had controlled the adrenaline in her veins, had remained the cool-headed one to counterattack everyone else’s nerves. Never had she felt like this - pure fear drilled into her brain.

Her hands were shaking and clammy, and her eyes darted around constantly. ‘Calm down,’ Jihyo berated. She thought of how Tzuyu must feel right now - cold, alone, scared -

Shit, shit, SHIT!

That was single-handedly the longest hour of Jihyo’s life. When she finally dismounted from her steed, her face was pale and her hands were trembling. She wasn’t stupid - the hid the horse behind a tree, loosely tying him to it. She turned him away from the cave in case she needed a quick getaway.

She considered her options - normally under any threats or blackmail, she would ignore it and barge in - but if she screwed up in the slightest - Tzuyu -

She decided to go in unarmed. That was the only safe option. She would, however, drop her sword near the entrance, or hide it somewhere in case things got ugly. Her hand to hand combat wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t horrible either. Jihyo took a deep breath, then made her way towards the east side.

It turned out the entrance was a small pathway that led to the inside of the waterfall, and Jihyo spotted a crevice in the rock, where she stuck the sword in. the loud roaring of the waterfall was enough to cover any noise she made.

She had taken note that the bottom of the waterfall was completely clear, with no rocks whatsoever. If she could get near Tzuyu and throw her down that would be a guaranteed way to ensure her safety. That is, if she was untied. If she was -

Not giving herself a chance to dwell on any more planning, she stepped into the cavern. A lone figure stood in the corner, along with - Tzuyu, who, thank God, looked unharmed, although she was bound to a chair and gagged. 

The person stood up, revealing a dark green cloak and a mask that covered their face. “Ah. . . ! The bodyguard of the child appears.” Jihyo snarled. “Let me see her.” The figure laughed, the cave distorting the sound. “Very well.” Jihyo walked closer to Tzuyu, until the figure stopped her around five feet away. “Close enough.”  
Jihyo was three seconds away from killing this damn bitch, but she was thankful that Tzuyu wasn’t hurt at all. The stranger tilted their head, gazing at Jihyo. “I’m curious - how did you get five hundred cenz so quickly?”

Jihyo waited a second, then blankly responded, “The General gave me three hundred - I took out a hundred my salary. After we have Tzuyu back, you’ll get the last hundred.” The lie slid smoothly off her tongue, and the green roach seemed pleased.

“I brought a horse with the money here. How should we transfer it?” Jihyo asked. The roach seemed to glare at Jihyo, but she remained steady. “Stupid girl,” it hissed. “The General is in Uuwpl, halfway across the district.” 

Jihyo didn’t waver. “Are you aware that my friend, Jeongyeon, is a brilliant lock-picker? He keeps all of his funds in a safe.” She cursed - how could she have overlooked this? She had to keep her cool, otherwise things would get messy.

After a long stretch of silence, the green intruder scoffed. “Well, go get the money, then.” Jihyo obeyed, walking back to the horse. She took the backpack that she usually wore, (filled with snacks and training equipment) and lugged it back to the cave. On the way, she grabbed her sword and held it on her right side.

She was lucky - there was only one kidnapper, so after she started her attack nothing would happen to Tzuyu. She walked in, clutching her sword tightly on her right side. The green croach gestured for Jihyo to give her the bag. Jihyo walked up, stopping a few feet in front of it.  
After a fense few seconds, Jihyo slipped out her sword and quickly swung it towards the person - only to be deftly blocked. Stunned and panicking, Jihyo moved herself in front of Tzuyu. This stance - it was so familiar - where had she seen it before?

The intruder quickly overpowered Jihyo, keeping her on her toes. She narrowly missed being stuck by the green blob, dodging and barely stepping back. ‘Damn it!’ Jihyo thought. She was no more than five feet from Tzuyu. Any closer and she would be in striking range for the -

Jihyo growled, pressing her attack again with a renewed fury, only to have to wind knocked out of her. She was slammed into the back wall, next to Tzuyu. The roach snickered, around twenty feet away, and slowly getting closer.

“You know, I had half a mind to spare you,” they started. 

Jihyo hurriedly looked at Tzuyu, blinking once, slowly and deliberately. 

“It’s such a shame you’ll have to die - don’t worry, I’ll keep the girl, how else would I get my money?”

Tzuyu looked at her, confused, until a glint of realization crept in. It was dark in here, and Jihyo studied Tzuyu’s bonds closely. 

“And I must say - you were a good opponent. Not amazing - it was a shame I couldn’t play against the others in your little group.” 

Jihyo slowly felt behind her until she grasped what she was looking for. 

The roach stood around ten feet away, then laughed. “Any last words?” they asked. Jihyo looked up. There was some blood on her face due to a scratch she had gotten, and that blocked her view slightly, but that didn’t bother her. She grinned. 

“Yeah. Do yourself a favor and shut up.”

To be Continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Just like in my chapter drafts, chap 10 is going to be tzuyu/jihyo centric with a lot of action  
> Also me: 2yeon backstory  
> Me: Wait a minute  
> Also me: 2YEON BACKSTORY  
> Me: I SAID WAIT A MINUTE  
> Also me: *flips over drafting table aggresively* 2YEON BACKSTORY!!!
> 
> Honestly thou this 2yeon backstory was just-heartwarming/heartbreaking??? Hope you guys enjoyed. Next chap will be up tomorrow!


	11. Oaths and Vows Unbroken, Part 2

The roach stood around ten feet away, then laughed. “Any last words?” they asked. Jihyo looked up. There was some blood on her face due to a scratch she had gotten, and that blocked her view slightly, but that didn’t bother her. She grinned. 

“Yeah. Do yourself a favor and shut up.”

In the next second, Jihyo pulled out a small package, bit on the side of it, and threw it towards the intruder. Jihyo closed her eyes tightly as she heard, “-A bomb. Easily dodged. Honestly, this is just getting pathe-AAAAH!”

Jihyo took that as her cue, unbinding Tzuyu, who had gotten her signal, miraculously. She fumbled with the binds before finally untying and ungagging her. She then she grabbed Tzuyu tightly, carrying her bridal style. She looked towards the entrance, where the roach had blocked it. Apparently even scum could still find a way to try and mess with her plans.

“You damn kid - you’re not giving up, are you?!” they snarled, and Jihyo took no heed, instead running as fast as she could towards the front of the cave. She glared at it determinedly, focused. Tzuyu paled. She began to whisper, “Unnie, that’s the waterfa-” but was cut off. 

Because, you know. They fell in the waterfall.

Jihyo clung on to Tzuyu tightly, turning them around so hopefully she could brace the fall, which she wasn't sure worked. The smell of water and salt was spit out of her mouth, and she quickly tried to find the closest shoreline, quickly dragging Tzuyu over. She looked over her worriedly, asking, “Are you alright?!” Tzuyu nodded, still dazed. “Come on then,” Jihyo said, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

The stupid roach was still trying to make their way out pathway that led to the bottom of the falls, and Jihyo resisted the urge to go over there and knock them fucking dead. Right now, she had to get Tzuyu back home, and that was the most important thing. She couldn’t send Tzuyu by herself because that would be too dangerous. Although she doubted it, there was a chance that the roach had others waiting on the road.

Therefore, she quickly put Tzuyu up on the horse, and untied the horse, mounting it swiftly. “Hold on,” she whispered to Tzuyu, and the horse neighed, kicked, and they were out of there.

The moon, cold air, and wind were doing miracles for their soaked clothes - the miracles in question being that they were freezing. Jihyo considered giving her jacket to Tzuyu, but then decided that that would probably only make her colder. Jihyo shivered, and Tzuyu wrapped her arms around Jihyo tighter, and put her head on her back.

Jihyo whimpered. “I’m sorry, Tzuyu, I should’ve - I shouldn’t have left you alone, and - God, I -” she thought of what Tzuyu must’ve gone through, the fear she must have felt, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. “Were you scared?” she asked quietly. Tzuyu hummed sleepily. “Not really. I knew you would come.” Jihyo blushed at that, and a comfortable silence stretched for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Tzuyu put her head on Jihyo’s shoulder, momentaily surprising Jihyo. ‘Oh yeah,’ Jihyo thought. ‘I forgot how tall she is.’

“May I ask you something?” Tzuyu asked. Jihyo nodded. Tzuyu said, “What was that thing you pulled out at the end? I didn’t see it.” Jihyo snickered. “Haha! The secret weapon of 3MIX - it’s a flash bomb.” 

Tzuyu smiled slightly, though confused, and asked, “What’s a flash bomb?” Jihyo explained. “We kind of. . . experimented a bit, and we made a rough version of it when we were back in training. And then this - a traveling merchant came along, and we refined it together. He got to keep half of the stack in exchange for telling us how he made it, and we made him keep it a secret, only to use in emergencies.”

“Anyways, to use a flash bomb, you bite off a part of a bomb, and you throw it somewhere. Then, within around a ten foot radius, everyone will be completely blinded for at least ten minutes. That’s why I wanted you to close your eyes.”

Tzuyu smiled slightly. “Surprised I understood?” she asked slyly. Jihyo laughed. “Of course! I only blinked slowly once and you knew what to do. Impressive,” Jihyo praised. Tzuyu blushed and nuzzled her face in Jihyo’s neck, cold air whipping her hair back.

Within an hour, they had arrived back at the Chou estate. The servants greeted them, relieved they almost collapsed. “Miss Tzuyu!” the head maid cried, no, literally cried, and the rest of the household was in similar disarray. “Get her clothes!” Jihyo demanded. “Start a hot bath - notify General Chou of the situation, and for goodness sake, get some more guards around this place!” The servants scrambled to do what she asked, and she led Tzuyu inside.

Placing her in the bathroom, (and making sure it was secure - you could never be too safe) she nodded in approval, seeing the maids had already started running the bath. Jihyo left the door slightly ajar, opting to stand right outside the bathroom, silently scrutinizing her room disapprovingly.

The maids came in halfway during the bath, and gawked at Jihyo’s condition. The head maid held a hand out to Jihyo’s clothes, and saw that she was completely soaked. “Sir Jihyo, you should go change-” A startled yelp from the head maid - “IS THAT BLOOD?!” Jihyo sighed in frustration, barking, “I’m fine.”

Really, she was! This was ridiculous - wait a second. Her jaw dropped when she realized - she had gotten on to Jeongyeon for doing the same thing at the hospital, but now, here she was, insisting she was fine (though she probably wasn’t.)

So she re-evaluated her choices. “No, I’m entirely fine,” Jihyo decided. Well, she was. The head maid gaped at her. “But-” Jihyo brought out her commanding tone, the one she usually only used when Jeongyeon and Nayeon were misbehaving. “I said, I’m fine.” 

The maids were taken aback, slowly and hesitantly backing away. “. . . alright then. . . call us if you need anything,” they said, creeping out into the hallway.  
Jihyo had adamantly refused to do anything about her condition, instead pestering Tzuyu to go to sleep. After she was tucked in, Jihyo pulled up a chair next to her bed, leaving the window slightly open. Her clothes had dried by now, and although she refused medical treatment, her wounds seemed to have stopped bleeding. It was a few minutes before Tzuyu spoke up.

As soon as her mouth opened, Jihyo immediately grabbed a water, a book, some blankets, and snacks, preparing for any and all of Tzuyu’s needs. “What would you like, Miss Tzuyu. Should I read you a story? Are you thirsty? Or perhaps hungry? Yes, horse riding is tiring, have some pancakes - oh no! Are you cold?! Here, blankets!”

Tzuyu blinked at her slowly and sleepily, giggling. This was the strangest, most demanding positive treatment she had received. “I am cold.” Jihyo immediately dropped the other items, unfolded the blanket and walked over to the bed, but Tzuyu grabbed her arm instead.  
Murmuring sleepily, she said, “Sleep with me.” Jihyo blinked. 

“WAIT, WHAT?!” she whisper-yelped. Tzuyu ignored her protests - (My clothes are still wet! I’ll mess up your sheets!) and pulled Jihyo in with her, sighing contently against her shoulder.

Jihyo blushed furiously, still putting the blanket over Tzuyu in case she was cold. It was less than five minutes before Tzuyu was cuddling into her, and Jihyo put a hand over her face, completely embarrassed. Tzuyu looked up at her, eyes half closed. “Hmm? Is it bothering you?” she asked quietly. 

Jihyo took a few seconds to answer, heart racing. She shook her head, looking at Tzuyu. Tzuyu smiled at the knight. She sure was cute.

Tzuyu hummed happily, already falling into a deep sleep. After a few minutes of mentally freaking out, Jihyo fell into the depths of slumber too.

THE MORNING. . .

The head maid walked towards Miss Tzuyu’s room - Sir Jihyo was so stubborn to refuse any medical treatment, so she had brought Sir Jeongyeon, who she heard was a certified nurse or something, and Jeongyeon knocked on the door. Hearing no response, they looked at each other before entering anyway, and immediately regretted it.

Jeongyeon took one look at the scene and burst out laughing, and the head maid gasped, squealing, “Good lord and all of heaven!” Jeongyeon laughed louder, watching as the two started to wake up. At this, she fell to the floor, slamming her hand on the ground, completely rolling over, howling. The head maid looked like she was reconsidering all of her life decisions, blankly staring out into space.

Jihyo was awoken slowly by the sound of yelling and laughter. Jeongyeon’s laughter, she recognized subconsciously, and that was enough to put her on edge, and she wondered what Tzuyu was doing-and suddenly a warm bundle next to her shifted, and Jihyo sprang up, jaw dropping.

‘OH, I’M SO SCREWED.’

Mina ran down the back stairs towards the garden. Nayeon followed quickly, saying, “Princess Mina! Please, calm down.” Mina ignored her, racing towards Chaeyoung’s bike. Chaeyoung looked determined, not even greeting Mina. “Come with me,” she breathed out. Mina blanked. “What?” Chaeyoung stepped closer, holding Mina’s hands together. “I’ve saved up enough - sold some of my paintings. We can go anywhere you want.”

Nayeon looked at them. Was this a joke?! She quickly interrupted, “ExCUSE me, what are you guys talking abo-” she was promptly ignored as the two were entirely focused on each other. “Chae, I can’t just leave the palace whenever I want-” Chaeyoung stood her ground, looking at Mina with a renewed glint in her eye.  
“Why?! Minari, what’s the point of life if you don’t take any risks? If you calculate and think about every decision, you’ll never find something that truly moves you!” Chaeyoung looked at Mina. “Tell me this: are you intrigued by my idea? Do you wish that you could listen to me?” Mina didn’t hesitate, saying, “Of course, but-” 

Chaeyoung shook her hands exasperatedly. “Then what? If you are truly touched by something, just give in to it! If there’s not a moment in your life that you go, ‘Oh my God, that’s insane,’ but you do it anyway, just for the sake of it - then what are you living for?!” 

Nayeon watched the scene unfold, looking back and forth at the two. “What the - everyone, listen to me -” 

Mina looked at Chaeyoung with a newfound wonder. “You’re - you’re right.”

Chaeyoung nodded, stepping closer to Mina. “Let’s leave. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Don’t be afraid.”

Mina gaped. Was she really thinking of doing this? No way. She knew that in an hour she would be back at the castle, shifting through reports of the Atmiser-Twiceland trading routes. She would then have a meeting this afternoon with the top military generals about additional camps on the border. Afterwards, she would listen to her parents go on and on about potential suitors.

. . . Right?

Her parents would be so mad. The entire palace - no, the capital - who was she kidding? The entire country would be scandalized, and what would she do? No, this was craziness, this was - this was -

‘Don’t be afraid.’ Mina looked at Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung, with her paintings and her bike and the stories that she never got to be a part in but wanted to, so, so badly, and suddenly she was filled with an uncontrollable rage against her parents, the castle, this system, because she thought she might go insane if she had to listen to her parents propose another stupidly rich guy for her to marry.

She was already decided-but she asked anyway. “If you had only one sentence to try and convince me, what would you say?” Nayeon sputtered, “WAIT A MINUTE!”

The fresh spring breeze flew in, chasing the tails of the fastest sparrows. The green grass gently swayed to the song of the trees, and the trees gazed lovingly at the flowers. The sky proudly displayed it’s blue color, as if proudly declaring, ‘Winter’s over!’ and the returning smile on Chaeyoung’s face was enough to dim the sun.

“Escape with me, as you’ve always dreamed of.” Mina let out a smile like that, a fond memory coming back to both of them. Mina nodded quietly, fulfilled and calm. “Alright.” Chaeyoung let out the brightest grin Mina had ever seen, her eyes shining with adoration. She hopped on her bike, holding out a hand for Mina.

Nayeon was about to burst into tears. “I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. Chaeyoung nodded, throat closing up. “But Chaeyoung, if anything happens to her, I’ll hunt you down!” she barked. They laughed at that, and Nayeon gave a hug to Mina. “I won’t say be careful because that’s exactly the thought you’re running from. But promise to come back safely.” Mina gave her a big smile, and she looked so free that Nayeon couldn’t help but smile back (albeit tearily, though in later retellings there was no such detail included).

Chaeyoung didn’t wait another second, pedaling as if her life depended on it, and Mina let out a squeal as they rounded the corner, which was quickly replaced with laughing. Nayeon watched them leave, wiping her eyes angrily.

MEANWHILE. . .

Jeongyeon and Jihyo were in the middle of a conference. The General was downstairs, checking upon the condition of his daughter. The ship leaving had been delayed until this afternoon, for obvious reasons. 

Jeongyeon turned to Jihyo. “I’ve sent a platoon of soldiers covered out through a few miles near the waterfall. I highly doubt they’ll find anyone, though. And I’m sure the kidnapper has escaped for now.” Jihyo put a hand to her face, sighing frustratedly. Jeongyeon continued, “The good news is Tzuyu’s leaving for Atmiser, which will give us a few months to try and track them down, and she’ll be safe.”

Jihyo nodded. Jeongyeon smirked and leaned forward. “Now that that’s out of the way, mind telling me what that was this morning? I didn’t know you moved that quic-” Jeongyeon yelped as Jihyo threw a flash bomb towards her. She hadn’t bit it, which meant there was no way for it to go off, but Jeongyeon was alarmed. “HEY!”

Their fighting was interrupted when a servant came. “Sir Jihyo, General Chou would like to meet you downstairs,” she said. Jeongyeon snickered. “Wonder what for-OOWWW!” Jihyo, flushed, picked up the two flash bombs she had thrown. “Thank you,” she replied sharply. “We’ll be right there.”

After she arrived downstairs, Jihyo looked panickedly at Tzuyu. ‘Did you tell him?!’ she asked mentally. Tzuyu blushed slightly, shaking her head. Jihyo was about to check with the maid but General Chou spoke up. “Sir Jihyo. . . you have once proven your worth as a soldier. I thank you gratefully for your quick thinking and impressive actions. Tzuyu here has told me about the. . . incident,” he rumbled. 

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!” Jihyo blurted out, and Tzuyu blushed. The maid facepalmed, and Jeongyeon spit out her tea. “IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN!”

The General looked at her strangely. “Well I hope Tzuyu won’t be kidnapped again,” he stated.

Jihyo changed at that, and Tzuyu could see in her eyes that she was dead inside.

Jihyo nodded fragilely, waiting for him to continue. “Although this is highly disturbing, I’ve arranged for Sir Jeongyeon to be in charge of plans to track down the offender.” Jihyo was confused. What about her? General Chou then said, “I no longer feel Tzuyu is safe, so I was wondering if you’d like to join us for the trip to Atmiser.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before Jihyo replied, “Of course.” It was the most logical conclusion, and honestly speaking she would feel a lot more at ease to be with Tzuyu. Jeongyeon was surprised, and a bit apprehensive at spending more than two months without Jihyo, but it couldn’t be helped.

They left that afternoon, Jihyo and Jeongyeon exchanging hugs - ‘Tell Nayeon bye for me!’ and before she knew it, Jeongyeon was watching the large ship sail away into the distance. Although her heart twinged at seeing one of her best friends leave for so long, she tried not to dwell on it. She decided to head back to the palace.

It was a mistake. As soon as she stepped foot inside of the palace Nayeon was bawling in her arms. “NABONGS!” Jeongyeon quickly went to Sana’s room and sat Nayeon down in a chair. Thankfully, Sana wasn’t there right then. “What’s going on?!” 

Nayeon (tearfully) told her about what had happened with the Princess.

Jeongyeon blinked, then said, “So wait, you’re telling me Princess Mina eloped with some random painter - girl, I might add, to be gone, without protection, for who knows how long, and YOU LET HER?!?” Nayeon cried harder, and Jeongyeon sighed and put an arm around her. “It’s alright. We’ll worry about it later, we just need a good excuse to tell Mina’s parents.” She paused, then added, “Also known as the King and Queen,” which made Nayeon cry more.

Jeongyeon laughed, Nayeon glared up at her, attempting to look angry. “Why are you laughing?” she whined. Jeongyeon pinched her cheek. “Don’t worry, okay? We’ll figure it out.”

Just then, Princess Sana walked in. “Ah! Jeongyeon, Nayeon, have you seen Mina? She-” Nayeon burst into tears again. Jeongyeon closed the door, gesturing for Sana to sit down. “Ok, Sana, we need you not to freak out, alright?” Jeongyeon said.

Sana looked between them, then chuckled shakily. “Oh, it’s too late for that.”

Nayeon then tried to remain calm, sputtering, “So Mina just left.” Sana was confused. “She went to the capital? She should’ve called me, there’s a lovely new tea shop I wanted to visit.” Jeongyeon shook her head, continuing, “She left for a long time.” Sana was even more confused. “Like, a few days? Is she going on a political trip?” 

Jeongyeon sighed, blurting out, “WITH CHAEYOUNG!”  
Sana immediately gasped. “OH MY GOD-” She turned to Nayeon, hissing, “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER?!” Nayeon cried louder. Sana facepalmed, then said, “Does anyone else know?!” Jeongyeon shook her head. Sana groaned. “Well, what do we tell the King and Queen?!”

The three friends stared out of the window, feeling alone and desolate (and slightly hungry. Or maybe it was just Jeongyeon).

MEANWHILE. . .

Dahyun excitedly held a book, jumping up and down. Momo looked at her adoringly. Dahyun suddenly posed and held the book up, saying, “Music is my life.” Momo laughed at that, and they walked through the hallways, Dahyun humming Winter Wind. Momo asked her, “The Summer Fair’s in a few months, right?” Dahyun nodded, grinning, and said, “Yup! That means you’re gonna have to practice with me a lot!”

Dahyun looked at Momo’s clueless face, giggled and then dragged her closer. “I really like you,” she murmured out of the blue. Momo smiled, slinging an arm around Dahyun and ruffling her hair. “I really like you too, Dubu.”

???

The lone warrior bandaged up their wounds, growling and rubbing their eyes, then putting their green mask back on. Now that the stupid girl had left, escaped with the General’s daughter, she would have to change her plans. Glaring at the trees and forest surrounding her, she decided that her next target would have to be someone within the royal family. It was too hard to deal with 3MIX - especially if the duo she had heard about were actually as powerful as the rumors liked to describe.

She racked her brain for someone who was important enough for her to steal, but without a guard . . .

Princess Dahyun. The thought was so obvious that she cursed. Why didn’t she think of this before? The perfect weak point - the stupid 3MIX as bodyguards would no longer bother her. She grinned, looking towards the palace. ‘Look forward to it, Princess.’

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I have a lot of things to say lol.
> 
> Firstly: for the 5 jihyo/tzuyu fans present, you’re welcome. :D For the michaeng shippers, a plot twist I’m sure (I hope) most of you were surprised at. I’m so happy for them! Look forward to their explorations!
> 
> Saida shippers, are you still here?? Momo was not meant to scare you away lmao. IT’S NECESSARY FOR THE STORY ALRIGHT
> 
> We’re almost at the halfway mark! I’m planning an intermission with random little things so look forward to that :D 
> 
> For real thou, thank you all for reading! I hope you liked the chap, leave a comment if you are mad, or happy, or if you want more of your ship, lol. Have a great day guys!


	12. The Power of Half-Cooked Oysters

Chapter 12 - The Power of Half-Cooked Oysters

The scenery that Mina had seen for the last few hours was the most beautiful she had ever seen, the rolling green hills and the welcoming blue sky. It was the first time she had gone somewhere without a guard, she realized. 

Although, as she bunched up her hands in Chaeyoung’s shirt, maybe it wasn’t. Chaeyoung stopped the bike squeakily at the front of a small forest. She stepped off the bike, and put it against a tree. Taking her hat off, she grinned and held out a hand for Mina. “Come on!”

They ran at breakneck speed through the forest, Mina almost tripping over rocks countless times. She yelped and giggled, and Chaeyoung slid to a sudden stop, glancing back at Mina. “Here! We can make a tent here.” Mina tilted her head, confused. “Um. . . okay!”

Mina sat next to the small campfire that they had made and watched as Chaeyoung set up the tent. It was nighttime now, and the sun was setting slowly. After she had finished, Chaeyoung smiled and gestured for her to climb into the tent with her. It was actually quite comfortable, actually, and filled with blankets (where did she get those from?) as Mina laid down.

She sleepily motioned for Chaeyoung to come closer, and Chaeyoung’s heart fluttered at the action. She shyly looked at Mina, entranced in her. It had been so long since Chaeyoung was able to spend more than a few hours at a time with Mina, and she was so thankful for it. 

Mina looked back at her, quietly teasing, “Did you fall in love with me?” Chaeyoung smiled, and nodded. “Yes.” They both blushed at that, and Chaeyoung moved the tiniest bit closer to her. Mina got the hint, and turned so that their faces weren’t more than a few inches apart.  


Mina gently cradled Chaeyoung’s hand, then put an arm around her waist. 

Gently, Mina leaned forward to catch Chaeyoung’s lips in her own, pressing languidly and sighing. Chaeyoung returned the action, putting an arm next to Mina’s head, and slipping her tongue in her mouth lazily. Mina held her hands in Chaeyoung’s shirt, and after a particularly strong push, she gripped the shirt tighter, causing Chaeyoung to pull back.

Mina stared up at Chaeyoung, smiling gently as the younger blushed. They quietly laid next to each other, content with the silence.

Sana wiped her face dramatically. Nayeon was shaking from head to toe, and Jeongyeon seemed to be the only one staying semi-calm. “I wonder what they’re doing now,” she wondered aloud. Nayeon looked at her, alarmed. “What if they fell off the bike and landed in a ditch?!” Sana gasped, adding, “WHAT IF THEY COULDN’T FIND ANY FOOD?!”

Nayeon made a disgusted face, then turned pale. “Oh my God - what if they have to sleep in a tent?!” she shrieked. Jeongyeon facepalmed, pointing out, “Nayeon, we literally lived for months in a wooden house-” Nayeon quickly rebutted, “A wooden house and a tent are two very different things!”  


They were all interrupted by the King entering the hallway. Sana held a hand to her face, starting to panic and trying not to faint.

“Oh hello! Have any of you seen Princess Mina lately?” The three of them quickly took extremely different directions to approach the situation.

Sana, (stupidly) interrupted midway by saying, “Oh yeah, I heard last that Princess Mina was going on a tropical vacation to a deserted island, you know how young girls are nowadays!” while trying to act as cute as she could, giggling lightly and panickedly.

Nayeon, (also stupidly) said, “Mina?! Who’s Mina? I’ve never heard of a Mina!” whilst laughing nervously.

Jeongyeon, (undoubtedly most stupid) deadpanned, “Princess Mina eloped with a painter, and we have no idea where she is or when she’ll come back. Sorry.”

The three of them then turned to look at each other, silently blaming each other and panicking in equal parts. The King blinked a few times, then said dangerously, “What did you say, Sir Jeongyeon?” 

Jeongyeon gulped. Repeating her earlier thoughts, she yet again scolded herself. ‘THIS WAS DEFINITELY A MISTAKE!’

DOWNSTAIRS. . .

Lia passed Hyunjin a piece of cake. “Oh, by the way, I heard,” Hyunjin was about to interrupt, knowing this was another ridiculous rumor, but Lia continued. “That Princess Mina left with some painter girl.” He shook his head, saying, “Stop gossiping. This is nonsense.”

Lia nodded, more servants gathering around them. “Perhaps you’re right. But how come we haven’t discussed the -” she leaned forward conspiratorially, saying, “-affair- with Princess Dahyun?”

“WE HAVEN’T DISCUSSED THE AFFAIR, BECAUSE THERE IS NO AFFAIR!” He roared, nearly dropping the pie. However, the servants were experts at picking out suspicious behavior. Lia quickly turned towards Jennie. “Don’t you agree with him? Last time, both of you wanted us to stop.”

Jennie quickly turned away, ignoring the request. She thought of the - (it wasn’t even scandalous!) friendly exchange between Princess Dahyun and Momo. 

The two were quickly saved by Irene. “Lia, stop spreading baseless rumors,” she scolded. “Everyone, back to work!” she clapped her hands, and everyone grumbled as they slowly walked back to where they had previously been.

Jisoo and Irene sighed as they went back to work. “Jennie did tell me that she overheard Princess Dahyun and Momo were being . . . suspicious-” Jisoo had barely barely finished before Lia, somehow, had managed to hear that, (which was, quite frankly, near impossible in every way, but she had done it) and shouted, “OH MY GOD SHE REALLY IS HAVING AN AFFAIR-” before Jisoo promptly splashed a bucket of water over her head.

THE MORNING. . .

Okay, she admitted it - maybe she hadn’t spent a lot of time with Sana recently.

. . . Maybe it wasn’t a maybe.

Honestly, she hadn’t meant to! She was just busy with practicing (Momo), and she had a lot of composers to research (with Momo) and she had spent more time in the capital than usual (also. . . with Momo) - but still! She didn’t see why Sana was so upset.

Alright, let’s take a step back. This morning, Dahyun had skipped breakfast with Sana and the rest of the royals, (ACCIDENTALLY) because Momo had come to her room. They quickly went to practice - ‘practice,’ they had laughed, quickly pulling out a Battleship game.

They had played three intense rounds of Battleship (which Dahyun had won two of, quite proudly) before it derailed into chaos.

First, whilst going through the drawers, they had found a box of confetti, which had been immediately dumped everywhere, and then they had found sunglasses, ridiculous hats, and somehow, a hula hoop. Even better, there was a (disco light, she thought it was called) little globe which made the room all sorts of different colors.  


Five minutes later, the two of them were busy. Dahyun was playing an Atmiser sailor song on the piano, dramatically singing along, and Momo was adding a valuable contribution by hula-hooping and doing her best version of a pirate dance.

They had lasted through the first line of the chorus before Momo dropped the hula hoop, the disco light broke, and they collapsed to the floor, laughing their heads off. “Glory to Atmiser!” Momo said weakly, and the formal, respectable greeting from before was forever tarnished in Dahyun’s mind. The sight of Momo saying that in a pineapple hat was enough to ruin it for her, and she laughed ridiculously at that, putting an arm on Momo’s shoulder, choking.

Neither one had noticed Sana entering the room. (Though, honestly, she had been there for a while.)  


Sana was - furious, because how dare Dahyun skip breakfast, didn’t she care about her health? And furious because this random girl was able to make Dahyun laugh over the stupidest things, and they both were from Atmiser, and they both liked music, and she was sad, too, sad because she just couldn’t understand why -

But most of all, she felt neglected, and that stung the most. She looked pitifully down at Dahyun, taking in the whole scene.

Dahyun was wearing a sparkly pink party hat and beach-inspired sunglasses, along with a bright red cape slung over her shoulders. She even had a belt with a half-broken skull on it. Confetti was in her hair, and her face was red from laughing so much.

Momo was in a similar state of messiness, hair ruffled, neon green hula hoop abandoned, and a pineapple headband on her head, along with some sunglasses she wore backwards. She also had a scarf around her neck (with a pattern of shiba inus on it) and had a bunch of pirate bracelets on her left arm. The room was changing colors periodically, from green to red to blue and then purple, and confetti was strewn everywhere (including on top of the grand piano, to the dismay of the musician present).

Sana was frozen solid as Dahyun pulled Momo closer. Somehow, Momo looked up at that moment, saw Sana, and quickly stood up, alerting Dahyun.

“Ah, Princess Sana!” Momo greeted. Dahyun stood up too, taking her sunglasses off and smiling at Sana. “Hi Sana!” Dahyun quipped.

Sana didn’t know what to say - for once in her life she was speechless, and couldn’t muster a smile. “You missed breakfast,” was the only thing she could think of, and Dahyun held back a snort. She meekly pointed to a plate on the side of the room, filled with a single slab of cheese, with a layer of maple syrup on top.

Momo burst into laughter, and Sana had the vague realization that it was an inside joke somehow, and suddenly she felt the urge to puke. She looked at the ground determinedly. “I’ll go now,” she said. Dahyun quickly turned back to look at her, but she had already left.

She looked at the doorway for a few seconds, internally debating. She then shrugged, then turned to Momo.

“Best out of 5 for Battleship, loser has to sing a countryside cowboy song!” she called. “I’m in!”

UPSTAIRS

Sana rushed to her room, slamming the door. Jeongyeon had previously been busy sorting out the - (she still thought the name was stupid) Vicious Viper incident. She had taken large measures and notified the top royal officials and others.

However, she quickly put her book down, glancing at Sana and then Nayeon (Since Mina had left, Nayeon accompanied them now), then Sana again as she defeatedly flopped on her bed, tears filling her eyes.  
Jeongyeon quickly went to her side, asking, “What’s wrong?” which Sana bawled out some words neither of them could understand. Nayeon got her some tissues, and sat down on the bed.

“What happened?” Nayeon asked gently. She had always been better at this comforting thing than Jeongyeon had. Sana shook her head. “I’m probably just overreacting, but Dahyun - she isn’t spending a lot of time with me anymore, because, because of - you know, the new dancer, what’s her name - Momo.” Jeongyeon kept her eyes fixated on the bed, ignoring Nayeon’s gaze. The air between the two suddenly got a lot thicker.

Jeongyeon suspected that Nayeon still felt bad because of the hospital thing, and they hadn’t really talked about it, though Jeongyeon tried to reassure her that she was fine. And of course, they had never talked about - New Year’s -

Jeongyeon was dragged out of her thoughts when a knock at the door startled them all. It was a servant from downstairs, requesting Nayeon’s presence, and a few minutes later, after Nayeon left, Sana continued.

“I think Nayeon thinks I’m overreacting,” Sana mumbled dejectedly. “What do you think?” she asked Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon recalled Nayeon’s -

‘Your hair looks pretty today,’ the lies, the ignoring, the flirting with that stupid girl, and she took a deep, shuddering, breath to calm herself.

“It’s entirely justified.” Jeongyeon glared at the dresser painfully. Sana wasn’t stupid - she knew it was probably insensitive, but she couldn’t help but ask -

“Do you like Nayeon?” It was soft, quiet, and it took less than a second, and suddenly Jeongyeon stood up, filled with fury. Sana had never seen her this upset, and Jeongyeon shook with raw power as she stood right in front of Sana, as if she was holding herself back from grabbing her shirt and swinging it around violently.

Sana had to admit - she was scared, seeing Jeongyeon like this. Jeongyeon glared at her, growling, “SHUT UP!” Her hands turned to fists and she continued hoarsely, “You don’t know anything!” Sana stood frozen, unable to respond. After a tense silence, Jeongyeon put a hand on her forehead and sat down. “Sorry,” she mumbled. Sana shook her head, deciding not to bring it up again.  


There was a release of tension in the air, before Jeongyeon mumbled, “Go on.” Sana turned her head away, tears welling up. “No, there’s no point, I’m just overreacting,” she decided. Jeongyeon leaned back, looking at Sana. “You’re not. You can’t change what you feel.”

Sana decided that this was a parallel conversation she wasn’t sure she wanted to have, and she changed the subject, wiping her eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t know what came over me.” Jeongyeon stared at her sadly, then nodded. “Alright.” In a show of affection, she stood up and gave a hug to Sana, hoping it would comfort her. Sana returned the hug eagerly, and after a minute, Jeongyeon silently left the room.

Nayeon came back a moment later, the two passing each other in the hallway. Nayeon put a hand on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, and she recoiled. Nayeon stopped, then looked at Jeongyeon hurtfully. Jeongyeon turned away and continued walking in the hallway.

Wounded, Nayeon went to Princess Sana, who immediately said, “I’m fine. Just overreacting.” Nayeon nodded, saying, “Must be. Don’t worry, I brought food. . .” Sana dazed out of the rest of Nayeon’s sentence, thinking of the wildly different responses she had gotten from the two of them. How were they able to know each other so long, and work so well together when overlooking something so drastic like this? She tried to tuck it away in her brain - this was no place for her to pry.

THE NEXT AFTERNOON. . .

Chaeyoung stepped off the bike, helping Mina down. “Are you ready?” she asked resolutely. Mina giggled. “I guess so.” Chaeyoung then held Mina’s hand, walking forward a few steps. It was the first time (okay, she had gone on her fair share of trips, but they were all business oriented and thus didn’t count) that she had left the capital boundaries. Chaeyoung looked up at her, asking, “How does the air feel? Fresher?”

They both knew that there was exactly no difference between the air, but Mina giggled and nodded. “It’s wonderful.” Chaeyoung couldn’t resist and pulled Mina into a hug. “There’s so many things we have to see,” Chaeyoung said. Mina nodded. “Please. I want to go everywhere. Where do we start?” Chaeyoung smiled, saying, “Well, there’s a town a few miles from here and we can stay there for the night. It’s broken down, no one lives there, but it’s a nice little place.”

Mina considered her words, then realized - “It’s a ghost town?” Chaeyoung chuckled nervously. “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t put it that way, but. Um. Yes?” Mina shook her head and closed her eyes. “You’re braver than me. Have you gone there by yourself before?” After a responding nod, Mina shivered. “Like I said, brave.” Chaeyoung giggled again, both of them feeling a sense of tranquility.

AT THE PALACE. . .

“HAHA! 19-15!” Dahyun declared, pumping her fist in the air. Momo seemed confused. “Wait! But I didn’t lose yet?” Dahyun sighed and explained patiently again, until Momo cheered. “Yay!” She quickly frowned. “Oh wait. I lost. Nooooo!” She fell to the floor dramatically while Dahyun cackled. “The power of love and friendship!” she declared, and they both giggled, falling over on the floor. After a comfortable stretch of silence, Dahun quickly sprang up. “Alright. Let’s go through the piece again,” she said.

This time, they were doing something more ambitious - Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto, and it was unsurprising difficult. Emperor was the name it had been given, and Dahyun thought sarcastically that it was a quite fitting piece to be played in a royal court. Her and Momo had been practicing the whole day (okay, maybe only half a day or so) and now she wanted to go through it again.

“Let’s try the second movement,” Dahyun suggested. Momo nodded, asking, “What do you think of the tone? Should it be more of a subdued yellow? Or perhaps a blue/gray?” Dahyun thought about it, then suggested, “I’m thinking of a purple, but not too rich.” After both nodding, apparently telepathically matching the exact same shade of purple, (musicians think strangely) they proceeded with the practice.

Dahyun experimented with the movement (should this passage be lighter? More rubato?) and adjusted the speed and dynamics, trying to create the best projection in the room, coordinating the piece. Suddenly, she stopped to mark on her sheet music. “Momo, what do you think the dynamic should be here?” she asked. They stood over the music, deeply thinking.

“This is the echo, so it should be quieter,” Momo said, and Dahyun nodded. “But of course, because of the key change, it needs to be different. . .” they mused over the phrasing, as musicians do, and were interrupted by a third figure standing next to them.

“Ahem.” Jeongyeon coughed, and immediately the two turned around. “Ah! Sir Jeongyeon, what brings you here?” Jeongyeon then replied, “Princess, Miss Momo, it’s already past midnight.” 

Dahyun and Momo gaped at the information, both quickly sputtering, “WHAT?!” After a brief debate - (‘Momo, I told you that we should’ve stopped playing Battleship,’ and ‘Hey! Wait a second, you’re the one who wanted to run over the third movement eight times-’) they both apologized to Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon watched with horror and confusion as Dahyun placed a kiss to Momo’s forehead. “Night, Momoring! Come back at lunch tomorrow, take a good sleep. We can go to eat lunch tomorrow together - there’s a new restaurant that opened up near the capital.” Jeongyeon was speechless, instead opting to walk out, not saying anything. Jeongyeon facepalmed watching Dahyun. ‘She better get herself together,’ Jeongyeon thought.

THAT NIGHT. . .

Mina shivered in the cold. Chaeyoung had gone to get some supplies from the general store (which she claimed still had supplies in it - though Mina was highly doubtful the structure was even there, as apparent from the condition of the whole town). If you could even call it a town, that is. Every building that she had seen so far had either been - 1. Half fallen over, 2. Rotting, or 3. Looked like it was straight out of a horror story. A few honorary ones were part of all three categories above.

Right now, they were situated in a (thankfully, not very scary) broken-down house near the town square. Mina was absolutely sure that there was no one within ten miles of here in any direction - this was a complete and utterly forgotten place.

Normally, she would’ve been scared out of her mind - she had read enough horror novels to know that this was a prime place for all sorts of wonderfully terrifying things to happen, and if she had came here a few weeks ago, that one spider web in the corner would’ve made her faint, and the thought of sleeping next to a dripping roof would be enough to make her gag. Not to mention, she could feel the cold wind drifting through the building like a haunting memory of years past. That was horrifying.  


But right now, as she was seated by a campfire, she thought about none of those things, instead pondering how nice Chaeyoung’s jacket smelled. She smiled, thinking about the strangeness of the situation - the Princess of Twiceland, crouching against a half-burnt out fire in the middle of, quite literally, nowhere. She wondered briefly if her parents knew about her situation.

(Ah! What a wonderful idea. Let’s see what actually happened from last time.

Jeongyeon said, “Princess Mina eloped with a painter, and we have no idea where she is or when she’ll come back. Sorry.”

Jeongyeon looked at the other two, confused with their (rather stupid) excuses. She was confused - were they not telling the truth? The King looked dazed, replying, “What did you say, Sir Jeongyeon?” 

Sana quickly giggled, laughing it off. “You know how these military types are, so uptight that when they joke, it’s ridiculous,” and she laughed forcefully, and Nayeon followed. The King didn’t seem amused, and asked again. Nayeon quickly stepped in. ‘What would Jihyo say?!!’ she thought.

“Princess Mina, as you know, is very ambitious about her royal training. There was a unique opportunity for her to academically further her abilities in the southern area of Twiceland, with,” she dropped the name of a few famous scholars, and conjured up a random idea of how Mina was going there to study, and how there was no time to tell anyone else.

The King nodded approvingly. “Yes, perhaps it is a good idea for her to start to make big decisions on her own like this.” He then asked, “When is she coming back?” Sana, give her credit, is a lot smarter than she looks, and quickly came up with a perfect excuse. “You know these scholarly types - they’re a different breed, sir. Who knows? Could be in a few weeks, or several months.”

So that was how a catastrophe was avoided.)

Shaking her head, Mina decided not to dwell on such thoughts, instead smiling at Chaeyoung when she approached with food. Chaeyoung held up a bag of oysters. “Um. This was all they had at the store,” she muttered, slightly embarrassed, and she began to cook them over the fire. The two then proceeded to talk about random matters for a while, and after a few minutes, Chaeyoung realized something horrible. “Ah! We don’t have any more firewood!” she exclaimed, watching the fire go out. It was too late now to get more wood, and she doubted she could find any lying around the town.  


They both stared at the fire as it dwindled down, Chaeyoung panicking while Mina stayed remotely calm. “Let’s. . . take that firewood,” she suggested, pointing to a building. Chaeyoung followed her finger and laughed at the idea of them dragging a wooden plank halfway across a street to make a fire. Chaeyoung shook her head. “Nah. I guess. . .”

They both stared at the oysters, before Chaeyoung held one out to Mina. They both waited a few seconds, then nodded at each other determinedly, the full moon hanging down on them. At the same time, they took a bite out of the oysters.

There was calm for a split millisecond before it came crashing down. Chaeyoung coughed, choking, and put a hand on her face as she tried to stop, and Mina was doing the same, both of them trying to regain their breath, still violently hacking. They looked at each other, eyes meeting, and suddenly Mina burst out laughing, and Chaeyoung followed.

The ludiorcy of the situation dawned on them, and it was enough for them to laugh for many minutes, each time trying to catch their breath, failing, choking again and looking at each other, before finally swallowing the oysters, Chaeyoung making a face. “Yuck,” she said. Mina nodded. “Yuck,” she agreed.

There was silence, before Chaeyoung grabbed another oyster and downed it with no expression. After chewing and swallowing (where Mina watched with horror), they both burst out laughing again.

Afterwards, Mina leaned on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of her presence. She smiled softly, and Chaeyoung was filled with a warm burden on her heart. “The power of half-cooked oysters,” she whispered, and Chaeyoung laughed, as their world faded into the sweet darkness of night.

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! :D a slightly longer chapter, hopefully it was fun. LOTS OF MICHAENG ACTION! they deserve it lol. Some more Dahmo :’) What? I’m fine. Honestly that Battleship scene, along with Momo in a pineapple hat - asdfghjkofuwmsp.   
> Jeongyeon can’t admit anything lollll. Sana’s braver than I’ll ever be honestly. We’ll have to wait a while for 2yeon, be patient with them!
> 
> For the jitzu fans: Sorry! I haven’t forgotten about them, I promise! I’m planning to go through the weeks to the summer ball with our group in the capital first, then backtrack for a while to focus on jitzu and their *cough* flirting *cough*
> 
> I got over my semi-cold! Yay. Hoped you guys liked the update! I’m working hard :D leave a comment with your thoughts if you feel obliged :)


	13. The Pursuit of Musicality (or, Momo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, namely Saida fans: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Chapter 13 - The Pursuit of Musicality (or, Momo)

Dahyun slammed the transcript down in frustration. Momo stood besides her, both feeling hopeless. Why did Beethoven need to make this so complicated? It was two weeks before the summer ball, and, quite frankly, this was the largest disaster of all disasters that could ever occur to a musician.

AKA: The occasional lapse of depression every musician goes through periodically. Momo tried to cheer Dahyun up. “No problem, Dubu. You got this.” Dahyun hung her head, about to spit out an uncharacteristic resort, but she restrained herself. “Right. Let’s go through this passage again.”

Momo frowned. Ever since the day that had stayed past midnight, they had often stayed in the music room for longer times than usual - not that she was complaining, being with Dahyun was the most fun she had, honestly, ever had - but she wondered if it was taking a toll on her mental health. “No.” Dahyun looked up at her, confused. “You are going to take the day off.” 

Dahyun’s jaw dropped. “MOMO, YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” Dahyun cried, as she was dragged off, but Momo ignored her, instead dropping her outside the music room door, and promptly slamming it. 

Irene stifled a laugh. “Momo kicked you out of the music room?” she asked. Dahyun nodded remorsefully, and the servants crowded her, trying not to laugh. Dahyun waved a hand at them. “You can still laugh at me, you know? Just because you know I’m a princess now doesn’t mean you need to hold back.” Immediately, she regretted it, as the whole room fell over in laughter.

Dahyun, embarrassed, collected her lunch from Jisoo, to which the latter offered a pat on the back. “It’s alright, Princess.” Dahyun nodded, leaving the room with a wave and lunch.

She skipped towards Sana’s room, entering with a bright smile. “Hi Sana!” she cooed. Sana gave a half-hearted smile back, and Dahyun patted her head. “I brought lunch today,” she said. Sana looked up hopefully. That was so thoughtful and sweet of Dahyun, she smiled, blushing slightly.

Dahyun scratched her head, embarrassingly saying, “Ah, Momo kicked me out of the music room for the day. Said I was practicing too much,” she grumbled. Sana giggled lightly, grabbing Dahyun’s hand and dragging her over to sit on her lap. With this newfound position, Sana looked up at Dahyun, holding her hair. “She’s right. You are practicing too much. You should spend more time with me,” she demanded softly.

Dahyun smiled down at her, then said, “Well, after the summer ball maybe. The concerto’s killing me!” Dahyun fell back on the bed dramatically. Sana giggled, watching her. They had a lovely lunch, and after, Dahyun stood up determinedly. Sana watched her stand up, then asked, “What are you doing?” Dahyun stretched, then said, “Well - I’m going to make a bet with Momo. I’ll play rock paper scissors for jokbal, and when she loses I’ll demand to go back in the music room to practice-” 

Sana blinked up at her, frowning slightly. “You’re leaving so soon?” Dahyun looked back at her, eyebrow raised and confused. Dahyun rubbed the back of her head. “Ah, sorry,” she muttered. “I guess you’re right. What do you want to do?” 

And that was how they spent the entire afternoon first, going to the garden, where they had promptly gotten lost, ended up outside of the castle, and then tried to get to get back to the capital, but promptly failed. Or; how they were in a field in the middle of nowhere, completely lost.

Sana giggled as Dahyun tried to pinpoint where the castle was. After giving up, she groaned, then plopped down on the grass, feeling hopeless. “This is horrible!” Dahyun said, falling down, facing the sky. Sana leaned down towards her, a smirk playing on her face as she brushed her l ever so gently with Dahyun’s. “I don’t think so,” she murmured lowly. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, with a whole afternoon free,” Sana breathed, putting one of her hands behind Dahyun’s neck, which caused her to gasp, and open her mouth. Sana took this chance to bite Dahyun’s lower lip, making her whimper. “Alone,” Sana continued, eyes dark.

Dahyun closed her eyes at that, face completely flushed. Sana pulled back, laughing and thoroughly pleased with herself. Dahyun took a moment to try and re-compose herself, breathing heavily. Sana watched amusedly, head on one of her hands, legs swinging. Dahyun shakily sat up, avoiding eye contact with Sana. “Um, let’s try to walk that way,” Dahyun mumbled, pointing towards a tree. Sana stood up, clinging onto Dahyun’s arm, and they walked slowly.

Suddenly, there was a quiet drop that fell onto Dahyun’s head. Looking up, they discovered something shocking: It was raining. Quickly looking at each other, they started sprinting towards the tree, covering their heads as best they could. They arrived a few minutes later, breathless and groaning. “Oh no,” Dahyun said, sitting against the tree, head in her lap.

Sana giggled, taking off her jacket and putting it over their heads. Dahyun shook her head. “I’m wearing a long-sleeved dress, you keep the jacket, it’ll get cold.” After a brief fight, they opted for Dahyun’s jacket to try and shield them from the rain.

The good news was that it was springtime, which meant the rain wasn’t bitterly cold. It was still chilling, though, and soon they were drenched despite their best efforts, and thus freezing. ‘Ah, this is a disaster,’ Dahyun thought, still confused on which way was the castle.  
Suddenly, she felt something warm on her face, and yelped. Sana giggled, placing another open-mouthed kiss on her cheek, Dahyun whined, leaning her face away, but that didn’t deter Sana. After a few minutes of this behavior, Dahyun complained, “Princess! We have more important matters-” Sana looked up at her with half lidded eyes, lazily licking her lips. 

Dahyun watched, blushing, then turned towards her, eyes closing. “Shut up and kiss me,” she mumbled, and the response was another giggle. Nonetheless, Sana obeyed.

AT THE CASTLE. . .

“Oh my God, we’re the worst bodyguards that have ever guarded anyone in the history of bodyguarding,” Jeongyeon said. Nayeon mutely nodded, both staring outside at the pouring rain. Irene placed a hand on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “As long as the King and Queen don’t know,” she said. Jisoo nodded, pointedly glaring at her staff. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

Against all attempts from her fellow co-workers to restrain her, Lisa quickly bounced next to Jeongyeon. “Sir Jeongyeon!” she chirped. “You guys were so cool at the sparring session, could you show us?” she asked. Jeongyeon looked amusedly at Nayeon, before pulling her away from the window. Maybe a distraction would be good. “Sure,” she replied, smirking.

Jisoo looked back at the state of the kitchen, with dirty dishes, a messy counter, five different bags of flour without labels (she suspected one of the was sugar, but none of her coworkers would help her identify which one) that were a disaster just waiting to happen, the three uncooked fishes on the counter, along with the dirty floor. And then she watched as all of her staff filed away to the other room. She pressed the towel she had been holding to her face frustratedly, groaning.

Irene put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, too, and soon they followed to the other room.

Jeongyeon took out her sword, doing some showing off. She spun it and balanced it at the handle, before grabbing it mid-air and turning to Nayeon. “It’s a bit cramped to do weapons, so let’s go hand to hand combat, Nabongs.”

Jennie and Rose snickered at the nickname used in such a time like this.

Nayeon nodded, both of them getting ready. They quickly launched into a powerful start, Nayeon dodging all of Jeongyeon’s attempted attacks. Jeongyeon leapt forward, then quickly back-tracked as Nayeon got the upper hand. She saw an opening, and was in the middle of her attack when - she remembered the tree, the blood, the hospital - she flew off towards the side, eyes wide as she landed on the floor clumsily.

Jeongyeon rushed towards her, concerned. “Nabongs?” she asked. She turned towards the staff who were still here - cursed, mentally for her own carelessness - and then looked at Irene and Jisoo, who got her unspoken signal and quickly evacuated everyone. 

Nayeon had curled up into a ball, and suddenly Jeongyeon was reminded of the small girl she had met so many years ago, quiet, and shy, and Jeongyeon quickly but carefully held Nayeon in her arms, having known her long enough to give her at least some semblance of comfort.

“I’m sorry,” Jeongyeon mumbled, and Nayeon felt a sudden urge to punch her or hug her, or perhaps a mixture of both. “Shut up,” she settled, and Jeongyeon chuckled lightly and they stayed like that, lost in the moment, things unspoken but at the same time, understood.

THAT AFTERNOON. . .

Somehow, thankfully, Dahyun and Sana ended up back at the castle safely. Dahyun claimed that she had picked a random direction and traveled a while, before finally seeing the castle. The storm was still pouring, and the servants that had greeted them (They had come back from the back door) were quickly providing every necessity that they could.

Dahyun sat in a chair with a hot chocolate in hand, waiting for Jeongyeon to pick up Sana. Sana sat next to her, head resting on her shoulder. Jeongyeon and Nayeon quickly busted the door open, worried faces quickly turning into relieved ones. 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Jeongyeon said, quickly grabbing more blankets and throwing them on the pair. “I was so worried-” Nayeon shook her head, putting the blankets Jeongyeon had just thrown on the bench after seeing that Dahyun couldn’t breathe.

“Do you want to tell them how we got lost, or not?” Sana asked, before realizing what she had said, and giggling while Dahyun groaned. Rose looked confused. “But to find the castle you just go east, the sun can guide you,” before getting shushed violently by a few of her coworkers. 

Dahyun put a hand behind her neck sheepishly. “I’m not good with directions,” she admitted. Nayeon clapped her hands. “Anyways. You two need a bath - and, also, for the record, I’d like to challenge you to a game of Battleship, Dahyun.” (The request came from a conversation from that morning discussing tips to try to beat Momo and Jeongyeon.) Immediately Dahyun’s eyes glinted. “HA! I’m quite,” she did some exaggerated movement, “the expert at Battleship. Me and Momo play it all the time-” quickly realizing what she had said, she corrected, “WAIT! I meant practice, we practice all the time, um-” but it was too late as the whole room burst into laughter.

Sana stiffened, holding her chocolate tighter in her hand. Jeongyeon turned towards the room, complaining, “Nayeon’s so easy to play with, I always beat her,” Nayeon quickly blushed, swatting at Jeongyeon, and retorting, “Hey?! What are you talking about?!!” The servants chuckled, Nayeon pushing slightly against Jeongyeon and her quickly pushing back.

Almost comically, Dahyun spilled the hot chocolate across her lap, eyes going wide and standing up, saying quickly, “Oh my God wait a second - the third movement -” It was as if there was some powerful magic going on, Dahyun grinning widely, saying, “Because it’s in Eb Major-!” She quickly laughed as if she had just discovered a new planet, shaking Jeongyeon’s hand for a peculiar reason, and dashing out of the door. “Sorry everyone, I’ll be back later!” she called, sprinting towards the music room. 

Most everyone laughed, but Jeongyeon noted the way Sana clutched her cup just a little bit tighter.

THAT NIGHT. . .

Sana was sleeping in her bed, and Nayeon was sleeping in Jeongyeon’s room. Jeongyeon was awake, watching over Sana. She and Nayeon would switch night shifts, but Jeogyeon was so tired she fell asleep without meaning to, eyes closing. They quickly opened, hearing Sana’s frantic voice. “Jeongyeon!” Sana called quietly, panickedly.

Jeongyeon rubbed her eyes, and stood up sleepily, until she heard a small cry that made her heart stop. Immediately rushing over to the other room, she practically ran towards Nayeon, holding her fragilely. Jeongyeon wrapped her arms around Nayeon, and Sana turned the lamp on, stuttering, “She just woke me up a few minutes ago,” and Jeongyeon nodded, moving so Sana could sit in a chair next to them.

“Jeongyeon-” Nayeon called, and immediately Jeongyeon turned her attention back to her, assuring, “Yes, Nabongs, I’m here,” and Nayeon clutched Jeongyeon’s shirt, sweating and pale. “Jeongyeon, stay here,” she whimpered, and Jeongyeon nodded, brushing Nayeon’s hair back and taking a hand and rubbing gentle circles on it. “It’s alright, Nabongs,” Jeongyeon repeated.  
“Jeongyeon, I’m sorry,” Nayeon sniffled, which Jeongyeon quickly responded by (Sana wouldn’t call it a kiss, specifically, but it was definitely suspicious behavior on the part of Jeongyeon’s mouth) putting Nayeon’s head under hers, telling her, “Shhhh,” and slowly Nayeon’s cries became quieter and she calmed in Jeongyeon’s arms. 

“Jeongie, don’t leave,” Nayeon whimpered, and Jeongyeon’s heart broke to see her like this - though it had happened dozens of times before. “I’ll get some water for you,” Jeongyeon said. “I’ll be right back,” she promised, and it was painful to watch Nayeon struggle because there was simply no strength left for her to protest, and Jeongyeon quietly stepped out of the room, getting water. Sana followed her, saying, “Thanks.” She looked pretty shaken up, and Jeongyeon put a hand on her shoulder while walking towards the water pitcher.  
Sana put a hand on her face, wiping off sweat, and tucked a piece of hair behind her, saying, “It was pretty bad,” she admitted. “I tried to get you quickly, but she wouldn’t let go,” she rambled, and Jeongyeon nodded, pouring some water, before continuing back towards Nayeon’s (Jeongyeon’s) room.

Jeongyeon nodded, seeing Nayeon sitting still on the bed. Sana saw Nayeon’s eyes and immediately wish she hadn’t - there was something in them that made Sana shiver and wonder if this was a ghost.

Jeongyeon was seemingly unfazed, passing Nayeon the water, helping her drink. She held Nayeon gently, as one would do to a small puppy who seemed lost or scared. Jeongyeon turned to look at Nayeon, straightening her shirt. “Do you think you can go to sleep now?” Jeongyeon asked quietly. Nayeon nodded, and Jeongyeon smiled at her, starting to get up. She was quickly pulled down onto the bed again by Nayeon.

“Don’t leave,” Nayeon whispered hoarsely, pleadingly, and Jeongyeon didn’t hesitate, nodding and pulling the older girl closer to her chest. Sana thought about the situation before leaving the room. Jeongyeon took this time to get settled next to Nayeon (after taking her armor off) and turned the lamp off, wrapping her arms around Nayeon protectively. Nayeon burrowed into Jeongyeon, taking in the comforting scent. Nayeon’s breathing soon calmed, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

THE MORNING. . .

Sana reflected on the night’s events. She had learned a couple of things, one being that Jeongyeon was a lot more protective and caring than she pretended to be. And that the bond between the two was undeniably strong - in a subtle way that she had just begun to understand. She had tried to comfort Nayeon first, but the elder had panicked and had trouble breathing, much less the ability to calm down and listen.

She had also seen another side of Nayeon - she felt like she could remember Jeongyeon vaguely telling her that Nayeon was an orphan, and although she kept it well hidden in the daytime, Sana had now learned that Nayeon’s upbeat and bickering personality was a result of many, many years of her slowly getting out of her shell.  
As she watched Jeongyeon fuss over Nayeon’s clothes, Sana smiled. Jeongyeon had seemed cold at first - if not cold, then irritable, and she realized that it was a facade put in front of the defensive nature that she was prone to get into near Nayeon. 

Resting on her pillow, (again, she was smarter than people gave her credit for. She knew that Jeongyeon would have been worried about her, since she was in the other room, so she had moved her pillow and blankets to this one, and had resulted in her getting yelled at in the morning. Worth it? You bet.) she laughed fondly watching the two get back to their normal routine.

Nayeon looked over at her, gaze delicate and frightened (though she had been arguing with Jeongyeon a minute before) and Sana gave her a bright smile in return.  
Nayeon sent her own smile, small and lopsided, and Sana felt a warm feeling in her heart.

They were getting there.

DOWNSTAIRS. . .

“Ugh.” Dahyun groaned, moving her sore head slightly which was a bad choice, because the result being that she promptly crashed into the piano. Quickly sitting up, she realized that she had - fallen asleep? In the music room. Looking around, she remembered what had happened last night.

Ah. She had slammed the door open, (busting an eating Momo in the process) and had explained to Momo about her renewed passion and determination, but most of all her random breakthrough for the third movement, and Momo was so convinced of Dahyun’s theory that she forgot Dahyun was supposed to be taking a break.

Thus, they had immediately entered a hyper stage that lasted for a few hours; Dahyun finally feeling like she truly understood the piece. Her and Momo had had a quick (they say quick: in reality it was for around an hour) celebration and must’ve passed out then.

Dahyun looked for Momo, seeing the older girl sprawled next to a few blankets, waking up from the piano notes, and Dahyun slowly tried to approach her, back sore from sleeping in such an awkward position, and murmured a sleepy, “Hi,” to which the latter responded by slowly sitting up too.

Momo had made many mistakes in her life: she was clumsy, and after all, no one was perfect. But in the making of this one, she didn’t know what washed over her. Perhaps it was the tiredness from the past few nights that had messed with her sleep schedule. Or maybe it was the almost-summer sunlight filtering through the window. Or maybe the atmosphere of the old music room, filled with books and laughter and secrets.

(Or maybe, she tried not to think about it, but just maybe, it was the infectious laugh of Dahyun and the jokes and dramatic poses of Dahyun, or the piano playing of Dahyun, or Dahyun, Dahyun, Dahyun.)

Because the next thing she knew, she had leaned forward and kissed Dahyun. On the lips. It felt so right in the moment, and for a second Momo pretended like every morning she could wake up to the sleepy yawn of Dahyun and get hugs from the younger girl whenever she wanted them, or, perish the thought, kiss her anytime she wanted -

(And god, she couldn’t imagine being able to get Dahyun blushing and flustered the way _Sana_ could, and it was so, so unfair, and yes, she was jealous, so what?)

But it was only for a second, because Dahyun’s eyes slammed open, and she recoiled back as if Momo had just slapped her. 

And for another second (Momo was always a bit slow) Momo savoured the taste of Dahyun’s lips, licking her own, and in the next second it all came crashing back to her -

Dahyun stumbled backwards, almost falling over the piano bench. Momo’s jaw dropped in shock at what she had just done, and she pushed out a strangled, “D-Dahyun.”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saida fans: grabbing pitchforks  
> Me: GUYS I KNOW BUT LET’S ALL JUST CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT?  
> Saida fans: lighting torches  
> Me: FOR THE PLOT, THE PLOT, PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN!  
> Saida fans: preparing to riot  
> Me: LISTEN I’M REALLY SORRY  
> Saida fans: holding pitchforks silently  
> Me: . . .  
> Me: You know what hand me one, this is getting ridiculous-
> 
> Honestly though, saida fans bouta riot, plz do so in the comment section. Leave a comment and tell me how you felt about this update.


	14. Repercussions of the Past

Chapter 14 - Repercussions of the Past

Sana stared out of the window, a strange feeling filling her. She glanced towards Jeongyeon, who was sitting next to a sleeping Nayeon. She started, “Jeongyeon, I’ve been. . . questioning my relationship with Dahyun,” she said. Jeongyeon looked at her, alarmed, and replied, “I thought you guys were doing great, after yesterday.”

Sana shook her head, a threatening feeling in her stomach. “I just - before this, it was so, so nice, you know? She was the pianist, she was my pianist, and she - it was just all perfect.” Sana put a hand to support her head, looking down at the table. “And I had always thought it was me who initiated everything, who invited her to lunches, and tried to find her, because Dahyun couldn’t. Like, she actually couldn’t, because I was the princess, right? It just felt like an unspoken boundary that she didn’t want to cross.”

Sana paused, thinking, feeling queasy. She continued, “But I’m just confused now. . . we know she’s a princess too, none of the royals would question if she came to visit me randomly, or . . .” she trailed off, narrowing her eyes. In fact, all of her problems stemmed from -

“You can’t blame Momo,” Jeongyeon said, as if she was reading her mind. Sana looked at her, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Jeongyeon then continued, “I don’t want to be that one friend, but I think you just need to trust Dahyun. Everyone feels insecure sometimes, Sana,” Jeongyeon suggested, adjusting Nayeon to a more comfortable position.

The room was suspended in silence for a long, long time. Finally, Sana nodded to herself, quietly admitting, “I guess. . . you’re right. I think I should just be less paranoid. And I know Dahyun’s busy, but I’ll go talk to her and see if she can visit more often.” Jeongyeon smiled at her, feeling proud, and the atmosphere became a little brighter.

“D-Dahyun.” The pianist in question had currently backed herself against the entrance wall of the music room, eyes wide and staring at Momo. Surely, this was a horrible dream. Surely, in a few moments Momo would apologize, explain, and they could get this behind them. Or, surely, Sana would be there to give her a hug when she woke up, because this had to be some nightmare.

After a few seconds of waiting, Dahyun pinched her arm, and (it hurt) - “Nope. Nope nope nope-” Momo had gotten up during this time, and walked towards Dahyun, with an expression that was of pure horror. “I’m so sorry Dahyun, I don’t know,” she took a deep breath, “what got into me,” she finished, and Dahyun looked at her exasperated and more than a little angry. “MOMO, WE LITERALLY JUST-” 

Momo looked like she was about to cry, so Dahyun stopped, and said instead, “What was that for?!” in a hushed whisper. Momo did start crying then, and Dahyun quickly ran around the room to get the tissues, then said, “Momoring, please don’t cry,”

Dahyun blinked. Wait a minute. Was this appropriate treatment for someone that had just tried to make a move on her? She shook her head. Momo was her friend before anything else, and that meant she had to take care of her.

After Momo stopped sniffling for a bit, Dahyun asked, “Momo? Why would you do that?”

Momo looked at Dahyun, really looked at her, and snorted. Dahyun had the most confused expression on her face, as if it wasn’t glaringly obvious, and Momo replied, “Did you ever consider that I had a crush on you?”

As if a lightbulb lit up in her head, Dahyun gasped loudly. “WHAAAAT?!” Momo looked at her, exasperated. After a few minutes of what it looked like was Dahyun questioning her entire life, she turned towards Momo, saying, “-I-I had no idea,” and stepped back slightly. 

Momo closed her eyes. God, what had she been expecting? To ask Dahyun to run away with her? (Shh. That was only the plan if the kiss had ended well.) She knew, logically, what had to happen now. She had to leave, for a month, for a few, however long it took to get over - Dahyun - (Dahyun with her glittery music room and her loud laughter and the dances that made Momo roll over on the floor laughing, and her sweet nature and -) because she knew, had always known, even if she didn’t want to accept it, that Dahyun was in love with Sana.

Dahyun had never talked to Sana for more than a few minutes, and there was a part of her that wanted to question Dahyun and see if Sana really was good for her, (and-keep it confidential-another part that was already plotting Sana’s murder) but she stopped herself, because she remembered (had kept it tucked away in the back corner of her brain) every time that Dahyun had told her about Sana with an awestruck, adoring grin on her face.

And then - it was a bit selfish, to leave Dahyun without her help to explain to Sana what they were (though they were nothing, Momo reminded herself) but even if she stayed, what could she do? In fact, she probably should leave to spare herself Sana’s wrath (It’s always the pretty, charming ones that have the most jarring temper).

And so, instead of saying anything that she had just thought, she instead said, “Dahyun, I’m going to leave,” and immediately Dahyun came up and held Momo’s hands, about to protest, and Momo continued, exasperated, “Dahyun, the whole palace already thinks you’re having an affair,” to which Dahyun quickly yelped, “WHAT?! No one even knows I have a relationship with Sana! And besides, we’re,” Dahyun gestured vaguely to Momo and herself, “not like that!” 

Momo facepalmed, saying, “We, my apologies, just kissed, and I like you, so whether you return the feelings, the outsiders can’t tell.” Dahyun rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. “WAIT!” Dahyun yelped, and Momo quickly nodded, knowing what Dahyun was about to say. “Of course, that includes Princess Sana-”

“WHAT??!!!” Dahyun yelled, and it was filled with a pain, a scratching hoarseness that made Momo empathise with her, even though Dahyun could be so, so clueless sometimes. “How could - but - Sana,” Dahyun looked on the verge of a panic attack, so Momo patted her shoulder, wary to not overstep the new boundaries they needed to put up.

“I’m sorry for leaving you like this,” she said. “But I can’t-” Momo’s voice broke while looking at Dahyun, and it took all of her self control to not kiss her again, and she reminded herself, almost chanting it like a promise, 

Sana’s good for her. She’s good for her.

“I need to go,” Momo said again. And Dahyun stood up, considering the options. “Of course,” she mumbled, not looking at Momo. “It-it must be hard for you.” Dahyun looked at her with big puppy eyes, and pleaded, “But please come back for the summer ball.” Momo steadied herself on the chair behind her, feeling embarrassingly affected (even by something small like this) and coughed, “No.”

. . .

“Fine,” Momo changed. Damn Dahyun and her puppy eyes. “I-I’m sorry too,” Dahyun said, shaking slightly, “I swear I didn’t know,” she whimpered, and Momo nodded. “We’ll talk more after I get back, alright?” Dahyun nodded. “Okay. We’ll talk more.” 

After lunchtime, they bid their farewells and Momo left, off to who knows where, not planning to come back for a few weeks. Of course, they didn’t tell anyone else, which led to complications in the dance crew, but Dahyun apologized and they seemed satisfied.

A FEW HOURS AGO. . .

Ryujin and Lisa were giving Hyunjin and Rose puppy eyes. “Pleeeease?” Lisa tried. “I’m so tired today,” Ryujin added. Rose scowled, grabbing the cleaning supplies from Ryujin, and Hyunjin just sighed and packed the gardening tools into his bag. “Next time, we’re not covering for you,” Rose scolded, continuing, “We all have our own jobs, and washing the palace walls and taking care of the gardens near it are yours.” But the kids thanked them anyway with big smiles, and they elders resigned themselves to their new chores. 

A few minutes later, they found themselves walking around the palace, Rose cleaning the walls and Hyunjin taking care of the flowers, watering them, picking up weeds, and whatnot. They stayed in a comfortable quiet, a ‘Could you pass me that?’ or, ‘The weather’s pretty nice today,’ occasionally passing through.

After a few dozen minutes, they were at the last wall, and while they were walking, Rose said, “Ah, what a lovely day! The sun’s coming out nicely, too.” Hyunjin nodded, and both felt like a good day was in the making, the fresh air revitalizing their spirit. 

Were they in for a surprise.

To this day, the moment remains vivid in Hyunjin’s mind. Rose had just passed him a sponge to wash the wall, and she was watering the tulips, and suddenly a particularly bright ray of sun bounced off the window, which made them both realize that there was, in fact, a window in front of them. Of course, windows were scattered across the palace, but most of the time there was a curtain that blocked their view. And if there wasn’t, they had both been trained to ignore anything that goes on inside, as good servants.

But today, after the brightness had passed, they had both looked inside, and seeing a piano both of them smiled, because that meant Princess Dahyun had to be in there. They did see her, and - (Rose was about to wave, honestly,) wait a minute.

Oh, silly Rose. That was just Momo - OH MY GOD. She quickly looked towards Hyunjin to make sure this wasn’t a prank Lia had planned for her stupid rumors, and, seeing that he was equally shocked, she used the two braincells that she had left to pull both of them down, flopping on the grass and hiding them from view in case they chanced to look this way.

Hyunjin looked like his mother had just betrayed him, and Rose, while not feeling that extreme, did feel like someone just punched her. “Ok. Answer honestly. Did Lia put you up to this?” Hyunjin asked, reasonably so, but Rose shook her head. “If you weren’t so against gossip, I would’ve asked you that,” she replied, finding it difficult to breathe. 

Rose then said, “Let’s not panic-” but was quickly interrupted with Hyunjin wailing into his shirt. “SHhh!” Rose quickly commanded, but Hyunjin ignored her, saying, “Lia was right-” Rose defended, “That doesn’t mean she’s having an aff-,” and Hyunjin responded by throwing the sponge at her. “THEY LITERALLY JUST KISSED, ROSE?!”

“OKAY, OKAY, you’re right, WHAT DO WE DO?!” Hyunjin held her arm, saying hushedly, with conviction, “We leave the country.” Rose nodded, caught up in the new idea, adding, “We must go into exile.” Hyunjin emotionally continued, “We’ll live as measly farmers, lost in the wilderness and Mother Nature.” Rose wiped a determined tear from her eye, agreeing, “Yes, that’s the only way!” Hyunjin started picking up supplies, saying, “Come on, let’s go,” and stood up, both making their way back to the kitchen.

(Later that evening:  
Rose hauled a large bag over her shoulder, tiptoeing towards the door, Hyunjin following. The pitch darkness of the room suddenly flashed white as Ireen and Jisoo stood next to them, and a couple other staff members looked at them curiously. “Hyunjin, Rose, what’s going on?” Jisoo asked blankly.

Rose sniffed, saying, “WE’RE TIRED OF THIS!” and Hyunjin responded by throwing his bag on the floor. “I DON’T WANT TO WORK HERE ANYMORE!” Irene sighed as the two started throwing a fit. She glanced at Jisoo. They really were babysitters.)

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Dahyun walked through the gardens, the dark gray sky reflecting her gloomy mood. She had thought long and hard about the situation (honestly, how could she not?) she still had to work up courage to talk to Sana. She had no idea how Sana would react, and that scared her.

Honestly, she had never even considered the possibility that Momo wanted to be m than friends. Was she that naive? She scratched her head, observing a butterfly. Maybe. Groaning in frustration, she fell down dramatically on a bench. 

Dahyun felt a horrible guilt take over her body, thinking about Sana. Though she hadn’t led Momo along on purpose, she should’ve been more aware of what was going on. And of course, she hadn’t spent a lot of time with Sana lately. Feeling weak, she stood up anyway, making her way back to the castle.

‘She has every right not to,’ Dahyun thought, grimacing. ‘But, Lord, please let her forgive me.’

THE DAY BEFORE THE SUMMER BALL. . .

Dahyun ran through the concerto, feeling energetic. For the last few weeks, she had successfully avoided Sana. On purpose this time. She wanted - needed to be sure that she totally understood the situation, and that involved talking with Momo. Who was arriving today.

During the fourth movement, a noise at the door marked the return of Momo. Dahyun glanced at her, smiling and stopping. “Hi Dahyun,” Momo greeted. She gave a nervous smile and Dahyun ran up to her to give her a hug. Momo was surprised, but she hugged back anyway, and Dahyun mumbled, “Hey Momoring.”

Momo pulled back, a gentle (and perhaps apologetic) smile on her face. “How did Sana respond to the. . .” she trailed off, and Dahyun flinched. “Um.” Momo quickly blinked, looked at Dahyun condescendingly, and then scolded, “Dahyun, you told her, right?!” 

Dahyun chuckled weakly, attempting to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. She coughed, then said, “Don’t worry - I’ve got this under control.” Momo was disappointed in her, and she was about to protest when it was like she physically couldn’t do anything, because Dahyun was giving her those damn puppy eyes, so instead she ignored the elephant in the room, because that’s what Dahyun wanted, and proceeded to take her place next to the piano.

Dahyun let out a cheer, and now, Momo was just disappointed in herself.

THAT NIGHT. . .

Oh God. Dahyun felt like she was about to puke, the guilt was threatening to overwhelm her. It didn’t help that in five minutes she would have to perform the concerto right next to Momo, and that Momo was literally right next to her (granted, a few feet away) right now, instead of Sana, and in summary Dahyun was a total wreck.

However, as soon as she stepped off the stage, everything changed. Instead of worrying about Sana and Momo, she was focused on the piece, with the precise determination only a trained musician can have. She sat down at the piano bench, even shooting the crowd a bright grin.

The Concerto proceeded quite well, if she could say so herself. She had made a few mistakes here and there, almost forgotten the next passage, but in general she considered it a wild success. Grinning, she took a bow, almost like she was on autopilot, because the moment she stepped backstage, she collapsed to the floor, and immediately Momo was next to her, helping her up, but at the moment Dahyun didn’t want to be next to Momo, didn’t want to acknowledge her existence (and that made her a bad friend, so she tried to push the feeling down) and she dragged herself up into a chair to catch her breath.

And, suddenly, she had to tell Sana, because this was too much to bear, and she tried to stand up to go find her, and she almost fell, so Momo put an arm around, and she was about to yell at her to leave, because, she was just so tired and Momo was too close but at the same time not enough, but everything stopped because Sana was right in front of her, in front of both of them, and -

First: Sana was drop-dead gorgeous. Without a doubt, she was the prettiest thing Dahyun had ever seen, because of her pink floral dress (it was finally the right season, summer-her season) and her hair done, but most of all the glittering smile on her face that should’ve made everything perfect and wonderful but instead made Dahyun’s heart drop because this, this was Sana naive to, to, and she untangled herself from Momo, and she went straight to the point, saying, “We need to talk.”

Jeongyeon smirked at Nayeon, raising her eyebrows as the shorter girl snorted. “Yes, Jeongyeon? Is there something on my face?” Before Jeongyeon had a chance to snarkily reply, Nayeon clarified, “Besides my beautiful makeup.” 

This time, Jeongyeon was the one to snort, and she said remorsefully, “It’s such a shame Jihyo and Tzuyu couldn’t come.” Nayeon nodded, saying, “Well, at least they’re having fun in Atmiser.” Jeongyeon almost spit out her drink as she remembered the scene she had walked in on before, and Nayeon looked at her curiously. Jeongyeon’s only response was, “Suffice to say I’m sure they are.”

The orchestra was playing another waltz, because the program tonight didn’t involve the piano, and Jeongyeon had a sneaking suspicion and Sana had disappeared with the pianist in question. Therefore, that meant that there was no one to guard, and she turned towards Nayeon, who said, “This is going to be pretty boring, eh?” 

Jeongyeon remembered New Year’s (it was half a year already?!) and the. . . events that had occurred. Including her bravery vanishing quicker than the Vicious Viper (whom they had no leads on). Jeongyeon narrowed her eyes.

A part of her knew that it was wrong, but she quickly drank another ‘tropical fruit juice,’ (the king had horrid tastes for exotic foods) and grabbed Nayeon’s arm, violently pushing her into the dance floor.

Nayeon looked at her, stunned and amused, and asked, “What was that for?” Jeongyeon slammed the drink down, slightly pouting, slightly mad, slightly embarrassed, but most of all, really, really whipped. There was no point in denying it.

“It was for me.” Jeongyeon stood next to her stubbornly, holding her arm out. “Dance with me.” Nayeon raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but silently obeyed, slipping into Jeongyeon’s hold as if it was the most natural thing on earth.

She couldn’t see Jeongyeon’s face, but she knew her well enough to know that she was probably embarrassed, not giving anyone eye contact. And herself? Well, she was enjoying this rare event, completely sated in Jeongyeon’s embrace. Nayeon peeked up into her eyes, and Jeongyeon felt an intense urge to kiss her, right there, but she closed her eyes and resisted as best as she could.

Jeongyeon spun Nayeon around, then softly whispered, “I meant it. You’re beautiful,” into her ear, and Nayeon buried her face in Jeongyeon’s chest, warmth spreading across her face, and it took her an embarrassingly long time to get over the moment, before noting angrily, “Yoo Jeongyeon, where did this boldness come from?” and Nayeon was (with no humor intended) about a half second from spontaneously combusting when Jeongyeon replied with an easy, lopsided grin, “You.”

IN THE GARDEN. . . 

Dahyun stumbled around, not feeling brave enough to get closer than Sana, and when Sana saw a bench, she hopped over to it and sat down, waiting for Dahyun.

They spent a long time like that, Dahyun trying to summon what remnants of her courage were left, and Sana enjoying the night, slightly concerned about Dahyun.

Finally, Dahyun broke the ice in the worst way possible. “So. Me and Momo.” 

Sana turned to her frighteningly fast, immediately having absolutely no idea where the conversation was going. So it was up to Dahyun again, and she cringed, gripping her hands on the bench tighter. A tense silence passed between them, and Dahyun then said, “I - she -” Dahyun sighed, putting a hand in her hair, and Sana took the opportunity to say (keeping Jeongyeon’s advice in mind) “It’s alright to have other friends, Dubu. And I know you’ve been busy practicing lately.”

Dahyun collapsed at that, (still too ashamed to get closer to Sana) and instead wiped her tears on her sleeves furiously until after a few minutes, she stopped, and Dahyun was so done with this, so over with it, that all of her nervousness from earlier turned into resignation.

“Have you heard the rumors?” Dahyun asked, and there was a shift, subtle but strong, and Sana turned to look at her, feeling anxious. “I - yeah?” Sana said, because she knew the one Dahyun was talking about (the affair), and Sana felt a fear, an anticipation that she wasn’t prepared for, but she quickly pushed it down, trying to listen.

“I. . .” Dahyun bit her lip, looking down at the ground, and finally confessed, “A few weeks ago, she kissed me.”

The silence was deafening, and Dahyun couldn’t bear it anymore, and looked up, and regretted it, because Sana was crying, and it was the most heartbreaking thing Dahyun had ever witnessed, and she reached out a hand, to which Sana stood up and ignored, and Dahyun was hurt (rightfully so, she knew, but still) because Sana was always the one asking for hugs and hand-holding, and -

Asking, asking, asking, because she wanted Dahyun so much, but she had failed to realize that, and she wondered if it was too late now, because Sana looked angry - angry, for once in her life, and Dahyun felt like a total failure. 

Sana hadn’t stopped crying, and the worst part was the small sniffles that escaped too, and Dahyun was having the worst headache in the world, because this had to be hell. If there was a god, surely they would have taken pity on a angel like her, and it hit her fully, right then.

It was all her fault. There was no one else to place the blame on, not even Momo. It was her that had ignored Sana, neglected her, (forgotten about her) and Dahyun was ready to accept the blame, all of it, if only Sana could stop crying, because this was too cruel -

But what happened next was worse, and somehow Dahyun had never, ever, even considered the possibility of it, but yet had always known it would happen.

“We need to break up.” 

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am speechless. I still have my pitchfork. Ready to attack. Myself. I can’t even. This episode hit too close to home. I’m having a bad day :(
> 
> Saida shippers. I’m sorry. Guys. Hang in there.


	15. INTERMISSION

Hello guys! I thought an intermission would be nice, just for me to rant about stuff, and a sort of break for everyone to catch up/anticipate the latter half of the story.

It’s not an update, so if you don’t want to read, you won’t miss anything story-wise. 

How is the AU? I’m an amateur writer, so I apologize if some scenes are messy or not polished well. I do hope that everyone laughs sometimes, facepalms, or has the occasional urge to throw your phone/laptop halfway across the room because your ship is NOT MOVING (my apologies.)

I don’t really have a plan for this intermission, so enjoy these short snippets of random thoughts I have! If you want to see artworks/comics about twice and my AUs, follow my tumblr @Piano_King

ABOUT ME

Okay, let’s be honest, no one really cares, I’ll keep this quick

I have classical training in violin and piano (and I prefer piano, though lately I’ve been practicing more violin!) I usually practice an hour and a half of violin every day (maybe a day off on the weekend) and around an hour of piano. I think classical music is really cool (though I do listen to pop. . . most artists besides twice and taylor swift are occasionally listened to.) I don’t understand jazz (sorry guys) but I try to always keep an open mind and unbiased opinion towards all sorts of music - pop, jazz, rock, folk, rap, contemporary. I think it’s important for any and all artists to be very humble and non-judgmental.

My favorite composers are chopin (for piano) and tchaikovsky (for violin/overall). I’ve learned a few chopin pieces, they’re all extremely fun (painful) and I like tchaikovsky BECAUSE HAVE YOU HEARD HIS VIOLIN CONCERTO WRDSJOEFIJDMLSKNGWG. Hilary Hahn is my go-to violinist, she’s the best, um, I don’t have words. Marry me? No, jk. Unless. . .

My favorite Twice songs: (don’t murder me everyone) What is Love (it was the first one I watched and I like the world the mv was in), Feel Special (IT’S THE BOP OF THE CENTURY Y’ALL), and Turtle (idk why, it just is.)

I like eating ramen, playing video games in my free time (I have a Switch!) am very short though I pretend I’m tall, will be offended if you call me short.

ALRIGHT, BLOOPERS

Mis-spelling and dumb mistakes I made.  
Jeongyeon stood up, filled with fry. (Bonus: Jeongyeon stood up, filled with fries.)  
They stepped off a bike, and Chaeyoung put it against a bike.

PART 2 OF BLOOPERS

Scenes that I literally just made up for crack. STILL NOT CANON.

At a sleepover:  
Jeongyeon turned towards Nayeon, glaring at her. “I’m going to beat you today. Pick a game. Any game, Nabongs. I’ll win.” Nayeon scoffed, then said, “I spy. You suck at it.” Nodding, they turned towards Jihyo. “You start!”

Jihyo ate a chip, then blankly said, “I spy something that starts with an S.” Jeongyeon glared at Nayeon, suggesting, “Stupid?” Nayeon gasped dramatically, then said, “It’s obviously S for sofa.” Jeongyeon shook her head, saying, “Are you sure it’s not stupid?” Nayeon, ignoring her, gestured to her drink. “Soda?” Jeongyeon rubbed her chin contemplatively. “What about stupid?” Finally Nayeon decided, “It’s got to be shelf.”

Jihyo shook her head, eating another chip. They both looked at her. “What is it, then?” Nayeon asked frustratedly. She was in the middle of drinking her soda when Jihyo interrupted. “Sexual tension.” Nayeon violently spit out her soda.

Camping gone wrong:  
Chaeyoung started to put up the tent, before realizing - “Hey Mina, have you seen the tent poles? I only have two here.” Mina shook her head, and after ten minutes Chaeyoung got a few sticks to try and put the tent up. It didn’t work. Chaeyoung decided that this wasn’t too bad, and turned towards Mina before seeing something disturbing in the sky.

Clouds. Dark clouds. Oh no - rain?! Now? She quickly put oysters over the fire, determined to at least make dinner before the rain struck. The oysters hadn’t even made it ten seconds above the fire before the rain started pouring. Mina quickly yelped and went into the tent, Chaeyoung collecting all of her oysters and then entering the tent also.

“Here!” Chaeyoung passed Mina some oysters before embarrassingly seeing that they were raw. Mina shook her head. “It’s alright, I’m not hungry anyway.” Chaeyoung nodded, finally accepting defeat. It wasn’t that bad though - at least they had somewhere nice to sleep-

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew away the tent, water immediately drenching Mina and Chaeyoung. They stayed there for five minutes before Mina deadpanned, “I want to go home.”

If the flash bomb didn’t work:  
Jihyo threw the bomb, yelling, “Haha snake! You’re doomed now!” The bomb fell to the ground. The green figure looked at Jihyo. “Um. What was that.” Tzuyu, still gagged, turned to look at Jihyo incredulously. ‘I’m so going to fire you,’ she thought. Jihyo shook her head, laughing nervously. “Sorry guys. Wait a minute.”

The roar of the waterfall increased as they waited. For what, the roach didn’t know. “Okay, what’s going on?!” they asked frustratedly. Jihyo held up a hand. “It’s a bit humid in here. Please wait patiently, a manager will be with you shortly.”

Tzuyu closed her eyes. This was a disaster. What the heck? Just at that moment, the flash bomb went off, the roach yelling, “MY EEEEEYES!” Tzuyu, luckily, was unharmed. After Jihyo untied her, she said, “See? I told you it would be fine.”

CHAPTER DRAFT CHAOS:

PSA: I have a google doc called ‘IDK Honestly’ and it’s my chapter drafts, along with where I first planned out the ships/arcs. It’s a total mess, but I think I need it to remind myself to keep it casual and chill out. AKA I’m too lazy to make it nice and neat. Here are some snippets from it that I have NO RECOLLECTION WHATSOEVER of writing but I think are pretty funny/confusing/ridiculous.

*talking about jitzu* Finally the mature one here, at least some of you are sane - oh wait the awkwardness. NEVERMIND

*extra* ALSO HOW DID JIHYO MEET NAYEON AND JEONGYEON????

*talking about the new year’s ball* I want 2yeon dancing together. Hi? Yes? Stop making things unnecessarily sappy? I can’t hear you over the sound of my awesomeness

*talking about the summer ball* and 2Yeon DANCE AGAIN!!! MORE AWKWARDNESS!! I live for 2yeon I mean don’t we all?? NO I WILL NOT TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

*Rough sketch of the story*

Jihyo and Tzuyu are an awkward mess and we’re all here for it.

That’s it. That’s the story.

*chapter 7/8 drafts* START OF DAHMO HAHAHAHA SANAKE YOU GEt PUNISH

*events drafts* Beginning of summer party - rich people really be having so many events huh

*talking about Chap. 14* Sana cries the whole time bc of Dahmo (relatable)

*figuring out everyone’s roles* Momo - Court DANCEr I AM geNIUS

*in general drafts* I can’t stand to have any real fantasy stuff happen lmao

Yes. All of these are from my chapter drafts. I did not alter any of these. There are many more exhibits, but I would like to spare at least a part of my dignity. Tell me if these made you laugh lol.

HEY HEY HEY  
Guess what, I’ve got a bunch more ideas for fics so I’m going to leave them all here, along with the one I’m going to make right after I’m finished with this one.  
It’s going to be a percy jackson AU, focused on our favorite School Meal Club, and THE BEST PART IS - I haven’t decided the ships yet so I’m open to ideas! Throw your ships my way and I’ll consider it. The only ship I need for the plot so far is 2yeon, but I’m open to a love triangle with them, so ships with one of them are cool too! The summary:

\---  
Chaeyoung groaned as the map they had relied on exploded to ashes in front of their eyes. “Sorry,” Tzuyu said blankly. Dahyun gaped, glancing at the surrounding maze. “Oh my god. Are we lost? We’re lost. Chaeyoung, we’re lost.” Chaeyoung punched a hand to her forehead, sighing. Tzuyu tried to grab the golden Tyrfing out of her bag, in which Chaeyoung immediately yelped and put away. “Tzuyu, no! And - Dahyun, stop running around - are you crying?! No, listen everyone, just calm down-”

Chaeyoung wasn’t a bad student, contrary to popular belief. Okay, maybe she occasionally brought home a B or C, but she was only a 7th grader. She’s never done anything bad (besides put her milk in before her cereal, maybe). When one day, a slightly taller, louder, apparent half sibling of hers shows up at her doorstep talking about some god that needed help, she doesn’t see what that has to do with her. “Alright, fine, Dahyun, you take me to this hill or whatever and then you’ll shut up, right?”

Spoiler: she doesn’t shut up. Before she knows it, Chaeyoung’s dragged on a quest halfway across the world, saving a god she hasn’t even met before. Along with her is her sister, Dahyun, who’s way better at this water magic thing than she is, and a quiet, thundering giant named Tzuyu. She meets new friends, enemies, and enters into a world she never anticipated.

The Percy Jackson AU focusing mainly on the School Meal Club, or the MIHB (Most Important Half Bloods), as they like to call themselves. Why am I writing this? Who knows. Enjoy.  
\---

Hopefully it sounds interesting to some of you - if it does, stay tuned! I’ve got big plans for it and am doing the chapter drafts now. Subscribe if you’re curious! P.S. It’s still going to have fluff/romance, okay? Just with a serving of adventure/fantasy.

Other fic ideas:  
(Keep in mind they’re just ideas)

A post-apocalypse/zombie AU.  
I know there’s a popular one in the twice fandom already, so if I make this, I’ll be sure to put some twists in there, or have a slightly non-traditional setting. I think I won’t make this one too dark, more adventure/drama, and of course hopelessness looming over everyone. Idk why but reminds me of AoT lol.

2yeon depressing fic  
OK it’s not going to be that depressing. It’ll be when they’re children, up to when they become adults. I’m 99% sure I’m going to write this (unless half of you hate the idea and swear not to read it for some reason). NOTE: There’s going to be slight magic, wr, but no major character d, thankfully. Jihyo and OT9 will be introduced at the end. It’s going to be a long fic, over 150,000 words, I’m planning. Slow burn lol am I right? Hopefully you guys like the idea.

UnOrdinary AU:  
Some of you probably read this webtoon; if not, I’ll give a short description. It’s about magical abilities, and it’s set in a world where you’re born with a power, measured by numbers. A 7.0 is super strong, and 3.0 is weak. Therefore, all the powerful people beat up the weaker ones, leading to a lot a lot of problems. I know some of you are like, “WHY R U WRITING SO MUCH 2YEON” but LISTEN HERE IT’S NECESSARY FOR THE PLOT. OK :(

Deserted Island:  
Haha! This is definitely going to happen. I’m not sure when, but I love this concept. Stay tuned! I can imagine so many hilarious scenarios here.

The actually depressed fic:  
Ok guys I had a really good idea last night and I totally forgot :D

Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out, but I think it was Chaeyoung/Tzuyu and omg I forgot I’M SO MAD.  
It was very depressing though, had a lot of dark elements. Hopefully I’ll remember it.

(a few days later:) YO YO YO I REMEMBERED IT!  
… and immediately regret it omfg it’s so sad. Jesus. Um.  
So, there’s either an apocalypse/disease/ other horrible thing that happened, and NO SPOILERS but there’s a lot of sacrifices that happen. Also major character d. Would not recommend it for the faint of heart. Wow. Very sad. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu will suffer. Major angst.

THE MUSIC AU:  
I’m so, so excited for this one!! As you all know, I’m a musician, and Twice in a music uni would BE SO FRICKIN AWESOME. There’s a lot of musician culture and hierarchies, and obviously dramatic alliances through the orchestra and the school. When I tell you I am so excited - I am definitely going to write this story.

Might even be persuaded to make Mina a ballerina lol.

BONUS:  
I know all of these fics include adventure/fantasy (that’s my favorite genre lol) but I think most twice readers/fics are like fluff and drama, so I’m cool with making fics like that too. Maybe after the Percy Jackson AU. I have a few ideas, like a random oneshot collection, along with a high school AU, stuff like that.

That being said, I hope people will still read the fantasy ones! They’re more fun for me to write personally, but of course I can do a fluff/drama as I know probably most onces don’t want to read fantasy lol.

I’m pretty certain I’m going to do most (if not all) of these fic ideas (unless there’s a lot of bad feedback). Some fics will be shorter/less serious than others, and I’m going to try to balance it out. I chose the percy jackson AU next because it’s a series that a lot of people are familiar with, so I figured it would have the largest audience, along with having roughly the same tone as this fic - drama/fantasy/comedy. Afterwards, I’m planning on the 2yeon slowburn AU, but we’ll have to see in a few months. The other ones I’m not too sure of yet, but we’ll just go with the flow!

I’m open to fic ideas, as long as they’re not an trope that’s been already done a lot/very well in the twice fandom. If you have any, put them in a comment below! I’m always open to suggestions, especially if you want a particular ship. I have a lot of plans :)

MY VIEWS ON THIS FIC’S SHIPS  
2yeon is easiest for me to write. I hate/love reading angst, and hate/love writing angst, but either way, they’re the easiest for me to write. They have a lot of flexibility, while still maintaining the feels, and honestly if 2 people in a ship have known each other for longer than 15 years I will not hesitate to cry.

Saida is, well, awesome, because my bias is Dahyun, and saida is basically the strongest dahyun ship (don’t come for me guys) and there is no one who can honestly tell me that they are not cute together. No one. I won’t accept it. BONUS: Momo makes for a great love triangle material! Sorry lol.

Tzuyu/Jihyo are pretty flexible too, and I enjoy writing them. I’m not like super into the ship but they have their awesome moments. They’ve grown on me, honestly, and I’m glad I chose them in this fic. Look forward to their arc!

Michaeng are very very soft :( Sometimes I wonder if I’m overdoing the softness but I mean - after Mina gets back to her queenly preparation it’ll be sad so it should be fine. :( Sorry guys. They’re, I guess the most ‘romantic’ in a fluffy way in the fic, since they’ve already established their relationship. Still like to write 2yeon the best thou.

LASTLY

Thanks everyone so much for reading the story! I’m glad some people like it because I wasn’t sure if my writing style would be alright to read. I’m an amateur writer so go easy on me, but if you see any typos/or have constructive criticism please let me know. If you want to see some comics/drawings about twice/my AUs, go to my tumblr @piano_king! 

Not to hound you all, but a comment is greatly appreciated and always brightens my day. Especially if you’re complaining about how your ship deserves more time dedicated to them. I always respect those that are passionate about their ships lol. It’s even better if you liked a scene/the chapter and tell me why, so I can know what you all like to read.

Don’t forget to request your favorite ships so I can get an idea of what everyone wants :) Comment about anything from this intermission - ‘ur chapter drafts are so messy,’ or ‘why is the chaeyoung/tzuyu fic dark??’ or, ‘CAN YOU PLEASE WRITE *insert rare ship* I LOVE *insert rare ship*’

Anyways, thanks for sticking through with this chaotic intermission (and sorry for everyone who was expecting another update!) - next chapter, (updating Saturday) let’s get back to the story. Hope everyone is prepared for the second half of The Knights of 3MIX and their Princesses! See you all there!

P.S. Hang in there Saida fans. Chapter 15 will offer a


	16. Alas! Complications in Twiceland

Chapter 16 - Alas! Complications in Twiceland

Jeongyeon was obvious, she was sure of it. Obvious to everyone but Nayeon, it seemed. Because the way Jeongyeon was looking at her should’ve been painstakingly easy to decipher, and yet Nayeon had no reaction whatsoever. Jeongyeon didn’t know if she was thankful for that or exasperated, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Because at this moment, she wanted to lean forwards and kiss Nayeon, and most of her brain was standing behind the thought, ‘Would it be so bad?’

Not here. Not now. Regaining at least a part of her self-control, she quickly shook her head, subtly stepping back. She prided herself on her resistance while getting a drink from one of the waiters - who looked pretty bad, she worried, was his name Hyunjin? She thanked him, and turned back to view the ballroom. The King and Queen were busy dealing with political officers and whatnot, and of course Sana was still missing.

Hopefully the two were figuring out their problems, she thought.

“We need to break up.” 

Dahyun didn’t even get a chance to respond before Sana was already gone, leaving for the forest they had gotten lost in a few weeks ago. And suddenly Dahyun was sobbing, because this was just so, so unacceptable, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine being without Sana, because, and she realized with a shuddering gasp that she loved Sana, truly, and she couldn’t - couldn’t live without her -

Before she knew it, she was running through the forest, jumping over tree branches and sliding down hills as if her life depended on it, because honestly, it probably did, and the summer night was just cool enough so that her hands were cold, and she finally saw Sana crouching by a stream, and, Dahyun knelt by her, saying, “Sana, please, talk to me.” 

Sana bit back coldly, yelling, “Talk to you about what?!” and it hurt, it hurt like hell because Dahyun was almost entirely sure she was the only one that Sana had ever yelled at, and suddenly Sana looked away, and she said, deathly quiet, “Do you like her?” It wasn't a statement, it was a question, and Dahyun was quick to shake her head, saying, “Of course not! She just - we just - it was, I, I really didn’t know, Sana, I would never, it-” seeing that Sana wasn’t responding, Dahyun continued anyways, trying to explain.

“I had no clue that she might’ve liked me - in that way, and I was just really happy to spend time with her because we had so much fun, and, she just, I was just waking up and it just happened,” Dahyun said, stuttering. She looked down into the river, admiring how it never wavered, always remained steady and constant.

Sana was crying again, and this time Dahyun finally reached forward, wiping her tears gently with her own sleeve. “It’s alright, Sana,” Dahyun whispered, and Sana leaned into her, still crying. “Stop it,” she sniffled, but there was no hostility in it, so Dahyun ignored her.

“Sana, I need you to know, you have every right to ha me, and that if you want to break up, I understand,” Dahyun said, trying to repress the urge to throw up, and continued, hushed, “But I. . . I’ll always be waiting for you.” There was something within those words that stirred an old memory . . .

A FEW YEARS AGO. . .

Dahyun wandered around the palace, fearing she had already gotten lost. She entered a room, which thankfully held a piano, and she sighed, realizing this must be the right place, and she sat down, warming up with some scales before jumping into some Faure, testing the piano. After she finished, she nodded in approval and then stood up.

Her breath caught when she turned around and saw the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, with light brown eyes and a caramel-colored hair, wearing a dress of dark red that made Dahyun dizzy because she then said, “Wow, I didn’t know the girls around here were so pretty,” and the charming stranger laughed lightly, and Dahyun felt a little awestruck because then she talked, replying, “Well, thank you, Miss. . .” Dahyun nodded blankly, unintentionally checking her out, and then catching herself and blushing. “Piano.” 

Dahyun blinked a few times, then corrected, “No! My name is Dahyun, I’m here to audition to be a pianist,” she said, blushing in embarrassment, but the giggle that the girl gave was enough to keep her dignity somewhat intact. “Well, Dahyun,” the girl said, sticking her hand out, and as Dahyun was shaking it, the girl smiled easily, catching Dayun off guard. “I’m Sana. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, lifting Dahyun’s hand and giving it a kiss. 

As Dahyun was blushing, again, she thought, ‘smooth,’ and quickly coughed, while Sana laughed and went towards the door, hand holding the side of it and looking back at Dahyun, saying, almost teasingly, “Well, see you around, Dahyun,” and she left quicker than a sparrow flying into the summer wind.

A few days later, they bumped into each other again, this time Mina and Sana were together. Dahyun walked through the hallways quietly, and Sana saw her and approached her, saying, “Hi Dahyunnie!” Dahyun was surprised, greeting, “Hey Sana!” Mina raised an eyebrow as Dahyun turned to her, and Sana giggled, saying, “Princess Mina.” Dahyun about choked before bowing quickly, saying, “Your Highness!” Sana giggled again, before exchanging a short conversation, congratulating Dahyun on her new position.

“Ah, but you’ll have to wait for me to come listen to you play,” Sana asked. Mina knew that this was her way of teasing, flirting, really, and she watched exasperatedly as the poor girl, surprisingly, didn’t blush, and instead replied, “I’ll always be waiting for you.”

Mina looked on, shocked as Sana flushed this time, quickly dragging Mina away to hide her embarrassment, thinking, ‘SMOOTH!’ and kept her blush, and after a minute Mina laughed, and Sana shot a glare her way, saying, “What?” 

Mina looked at her smugly, saying, “I’ve never seen you get worked up like this,” and Sana refused to look at her, instead looking out the window to observe the scenery. “She’s adorable though!” Sana defended, and Mina laughed again, saying, “That, and your ability to charm nearly every girl within ten miles of you,” and Sana flipped her hair, saying, “Well, it’s not my fault I’m so charming. And besides, if they want to get into my bed, I don’t see why I should ask them not to-” she was quickly silenced by a blushing Mina, covering her mouth. “SHH!”

Sana laughed, then said, “Alright, maybe she’s - special.” Mina raised her eyebrows, saying, “Oooh, is Miss Minatozaki becoming whipped?” Sana blushed and proceeded to ignore her, sticking her tongue out.

THE PRESENT. . .

Dahyun turned back to Sana, feeling like she needed to say again, “I don’t like her. Momo, I mean. Not in that way.” And suddenly Sana was shoving her back so Dahyun fell, and she heard, “You don’t like her? Don’t like her? Dahyun, ever since she came you’ve spent all of your time with her!” Dahyun flinched, hurt, but she said, “Everyone makes mistakes, Sana, I’m so sorry-” Sana scratched her head aggressively, pushing, “And what do you expect, Dahyun? That you’d apologize and we’d go back to normal just so Momo can kiss you again-”

Dahyun held Sana’s arms firmly, saying, “It’s not going to happen again!” Sana looked at her fearfully, and Dahyun felt herself beginning to cry, and she took a minute to steady herself.

The forest was eerily quiet, and it seemed like even the birds and small animals had sensed distress and evacuated. Besides that, there was a barely cold wind that swept through every so often. It was summer now, and that meant the air was warm, and filled with fireflies and laughter.

Dahyun started again, not really knowing what she was doing but knowing that she needed Sana and so she thought - why not just tell her that?

“Sana unnie, when I first met you, you were so kind to me, despite not knowing me. I was surprised later because you had been so welcoming to a staff member like me.” Sana looked at her, warning her. “And it was you who asked me to eat lunch with you - the first time, I was surprised, and I declined. But you kept persisting, so in the end I accepted. And I remember how for the first two months I completely was oblivious to the fact you were trying to ask me out.”

Dahyun shook her head, a small smile on her face. “It seems like so long ago.” Sana blinked back tears, muttering, “Don’t,” but Dahyun continued anyway. “I don’t know if you know this, because I’m very private with my feelings, and for that I’m sorry. But you - ”

Dahyun held Sana’s hands gently, looking up at her, and Sana was powerless to do anything else. “Every time I see you, I can’t help but think, ‘Wow,’ because you’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met, and that’s the truth.” Sana’s eyes widened. “And when you do aegyo, it makes my heart flutter because you’re extremely, extremely cute. But most of all. . .” Sana looked up at her, brown eyes blinking, and Dahyun smiled at her, saying, “Most of all, when you tuck me in every time you think I’m sleeping, and you give me your extra food, and when you always make sure my hair’s properly done, and how you always listen to me ramble on about things you don’t even understand, that’s-” 

Dahyun slipped her fingers so that their hands would be entwined. “That’s what I like most about you. Because you care. And I’m sorry if it seems like I don’t but,” Sana looked at her, scared and confused, but mainly caught up in Dahyun. “Believe me, I do. Each minute with you is precious.”

Sana sniffled at that, and against her rational mind, hugged Dahyun, clinging on tightly to Dahyun’s shirt. She stayed like that, within the warmth of Dahyun, well aware that it could be her last time to do that, and - now she was crying again.

Each second in that moment was long, and somehow it went by quicker than a flash, because before she knew it, she was being placed next to Dahyun again (her first thought being, ‘No, put me back!’) and Dahyun was asking her, “Sana?” and then, Sana knew right then and there what was going to happen.

She could let Dahyun go - she knew that if she asked now, Dahyun would be gone (maybe out of the capital. Or the province. Or the country.) in a matter of days, leaving nothing behind, not even the faintest trace of them. And then, Sana supposed she could wait, pretending not to be heartbroken (though somewhere in her brain, she was almost certain that there was no one better than Dahyun),

Or. . . Or, she thought, there was another option. She could give Dahyun a hug again, and then she could give Dahyun another chance, and somehow she liked this one a lot better, liked the fact that she might get more hugs and kisses and doting.

So she asked back, “Believe you?” Dahyun nodded, saying, “If you just believe me, Sana. Everyone has to take a chance sometimes, right?” Sana looked at her, really looked at her, and there was a sincerity in her tone that made Sana hesitate, and finally, she asked again, “So, Momo. . .” Dahyun shook her head aggressively, a burning fire in her eyes, and she replied, “NO! I don’t like her like that, and I definitely didn’t choose to kiss her, Sana, we were both tired and overworked-” Sana narrowed her eyes. “Overworked?”

Dahyun waved her hand, “Well, we fell asleep in the music room practicing, but that’s not the point, the point is it was a mistake and we both know it now.” Sana would be sure to grill Dahyun for overworking later, but now she just studied Dahyun.

Studied Dahyun and her big smiles, her hyper personality, how she was always busy making friends or preparing gifts or practicing or spending time with Sana, how she managed to keep it all balanced (at least until recently) and she thought of the warmth that she felt every time Sana was near her, how just thinking of Dahyun made her day that much better.

And suddenly, she was overwhelmed with how much she loved Dahyun, and before she knew it, slipping out of her mouth, “Marry me.” Dahyun didn’t even flinch, immediately replying, “Okay.” Sana looked at her, surprised, “I-um, that, I didn’t mean now, I meant in a few years-” Dahyun looked at her, smiling, and said, “A few years?” Sana pouted, but Dahyun didn’t relent, waiting for an answer.

“Marry me,” Sana asked again, and Dahyun smiled, her face brighter than a Christmas tree. “Okay,” Dahyun replied, and she leaned in to kiss Sana, and somehow everything was alright.

Jeongyeon was, unsurprisingly, staring at Nayeon again. Shocker, right? She quickly distracted herself, making sure the room was secure. Nodding, she stepped outside, looking at the trail that led to the forest. Two pairs of footprints? She snickered. Hopefully they were having a fun time getting mosquito bites in the dark, she thought sarcastically.

After heading back inside, she started talking to Momo (who had left backstage) and they had a lovely chat, Momo asking questions about Sana. Jeongyeon tried to give Momo the benefit of the doubt, and found that she was hilarious.

A few moments later, Nayeon angrily went to Jeongyeon.

“Jeong!” Nayeon called, pouting. Jeongyeon looked up at her, confused. Nayeon’s cheeks were red, and it looked like she was upset, but over what?

. . .

Oh. Jeongyeon facepalmed. So Jeongyeon had to endure Nayeon flirting with every girl, tree, heck, a desk that she found remotely attractive for more than eight years, but as soon as she had a two minute conversation with someone she was now in the wrong?

But her heart skipped a beat looking at Nayeon like this (curse her) and she stood up, meeting Momo’s knowing look (curse her, too) and Nayeon latched onto her arm, almost posessively (CURSE THIS) and immediately Jeongyeon blushed, asking, “What?” to keep up appearances. Nayeon shot a (jealous) glare towards Momo, who looked amused, and then replied, “Nothing.” The moment ended when both of them were drawn towards the back door when they saw Princess Sana, and they rushed over, quick to make sure no one else noticed.

“Princess Sana?” Jeongyeon asked, and she nodded, looking tired. “I’ll talk later,” Sana told Nayeon, and Jeongyeon had headed out, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Where was Dahyun? Reading her mind, Nayeon popped out and said, “Princess Dahyun’s in the forest, apparently Sana lost a necklace and she’s finding it.”

Jeongyeon furrowed her eyebrows, her detective skills starting up. Two pairs of footprints, and Sana’s coming back - her eyes flashed towards a third, hidden set - she turned towards Nayeon, shutting the back door in their faces, and then she started running, sprinting, towards the forest, fear prominent in her actions, heart pounding, and she prayed, (she was an atheist, but for Dahyun’s sake) she prayed for Dahyun’s safety.

IN THE FOREST. . .

Dahyun angily splashed water about, looking for Sana’s necklace. Did she drop it into the creek? Surely if she did, it would have sunk, right? She stuck her hand in the sand, feeling around, but after finding nothing, she stood up again, looking at her feet. She had already searched here, but it wouldn’t hurt to look again.

She was in the middle of shifting through some leaves when a glint caught her eye. Looking up, she found it! The necklace, it was caught in the middle of a bush, and - wait a second. It wasn’t a bush, it was a green person. It grinned, and then greeted, “Hey there.”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! Look forward to some VERY FLUFFY jitzu :D  
> Hope u all enjoyed this chap, nayeon 🤦🤦🤦 why is everyone so naive 2yeon is killing meeeeeeee
> 
> Anyways, I hoped everyone enjoyed, SAIDA AHHHHHH


	17. Bitter Rain of Night

Chapter 17 - Bitter Rain of Night

A FEW MONTHS AGO. . .

Jihyo walked around the ship, Tzuyu watching, and finally Jihyo sat down and got out a piece of parchment. ‘Dear Nayeon,’ she was trying to write, but the boat jolted and she ended up writing, ‘Dear Nayoon.’ She quickly put the parchment and ink back, and walked to see the ocean outside. They were in the bottom bunker of the ship, which was surprisingly big, and they had been here for a few days already, five, if Jihyo remembered correctly.

Looking at the clock and seeing that it was 3:30 in the afternoon, she quickly walked around the room, checking for any and all malicious items. After walking around a few times, she nodded and then sat down, Tzuyu looking at her strangely. “You don’t need to check the room so often, unnie,” she said. Jihyo looked at her, about to protest, but Tzuyu continued quietly, “No one else has even been here today.” Jihyo thought about it, then finally agreed, sitting on the bed next to Tzuyu’s.

Tzuyu pulled out a book, continuing to read it, and Jihyo waited a few minutes, then pulled out her journal, checking the inventory supplies. ‘20 bags total, 5 of them are clothes, 2 are vases, another one contains the passports. . .’ Jihyo studied the grid, double-checking the table, and finally nodded in approval. She was in the middle of turning the page when Tzuyu’s snort distracted her.

“Yes, Miss Tzuyu?” Jihyo asked. Tzuyu waved her hand, saying, “Oh, nothing. It’s just that you’re so uptight. This is supposed to be a vacation, you know.” Jihyo narrowed her eyes, saying, “For you, Miss. I have to make sure that you’ll be safe.” After some consideration, Jihyo added, “But I will try to keep it on the down low.” 

Putting the book up, Jihyo turned to sit towards Tzuyu, watching her, and after a few minutes, Tzuyu said, “Yes, Miss Jihyo?” Jihyo smiled at that, then shrugged. “Nothing.”

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Jihyo breathed a sigh of relief as her feet finally touched solid ground again. It was nice to breathe in some dirt, she thought, then immediately frowned. What? 

Tzuyu pushed two of her suitcases in front of Jihyo, and immediately Jihyo followed and tried to grab them, in which Tzuyu swung them above her head. Jihyo glared at her, and Tzuyu emotionlessly stared back. 

After a few seconds, Tzuyu pointed out, “Unnie, you literally have twelve bags-” It was true: Jihyo had three backpacks somehow on her back, along with three bags hanging on her left arm and she was pushing four suitcases with both of her hands, one bag hanging on her right arm, and finally another one on her head. “Miss Tzuyu, hand me your suitcases this instant!” Johyo declared, and Tzuyu sighed in exasperation, turning around and ignoring her, suitcases still held above her head.

Jihyo, frustrated, angrily stomped in the vague direction Tzuyu was going, muttering under her breath, “Kids these days,” and “12 bags, whatever.”

The General left quickly, as he had important business to attend to, and most of the staff left with him, leaving Jihyo and Tzuyu alone, in front of a small house. And when she said small, she meant small - somehow, there was only one room, which was ridiculous because Jihyo knew that the General had connections, and the house wasn’t per say in bad condition, but Jihyo could already see a lot of work needing to be done. Which would be fun for her to fix it up.

It was bitterly cold - BITTERLY COLD, perhaps maybe only 40 or 50 degrees out, (alright, maybe not that cold, but it was afternoon, and summertime in Twiceland so it should’ve been burning. Jihyo wasn’t used to this cold Atmiser weather.) and Tzuyu quickly set her two suitcases inside, coming back to help Jihyo, which Jihyo stubbornly refused.

“I’m fine,” Jihyo insisted, trying to balance. When she almost toppled over while trying to grab one of her backpacks, Tzuyu pulled her up, an, ‘I told you,’ look on her face, and after a moment, Jihyo let Tzuyu help with the bags.

A few hours later, they were all unpacked, remotely warm (thanks to the fire Jihyo had started in the fireplace) and Tzuyu was trying to read in the living room, while Jihyo was aggressively cleaning. She thought of what Jeongyeon would’ve thought - she probably would’ve fainted at the amount of clutter and dust that was littered around the place.

Tzuyu was so invested in her book she failed to notice when Jihyo was cleaning, but after some noise, Tzuyu looked up, to see Jihyo jumping, trying to viciously attack the drawers above the kitchen. Lightly smiling, she walked over and picked up Jihyo’s towel, wiping the drawers and ignoring Jihyo’s protests. “I’ll wipe the drawers, unnie. You can sweep the floor.” After a glare from Jihyo, she hung her head and said, “Thanks Tzuyu.” 

In a few hours, the interior of the house looked pretty good, Jihyo had to say. Well, at least the kitchen and the living room. The bathroom, bedroom and dining room were another story, but she figured they could wait.

It was getting late, and Jihyo realized with horror that since there were no servants she would have to - cook?! - dinner. Hand running through her hair, distressed, she thought of all the cooking lessons she had acquired in her life.

Lesson One:

Jihyo had just met Jeongyeon and Nayeon, and Jeongyeon was a great cook because she had to cook for Nayeon, but Jihyo had never cracked an egg before, leading to some chaos in the kitchen. Jeongyeon was trying to explain, “So, first, to cook an omelet - Nayeon, that’s not the sugar,” Jeongyeon went to put Nayeon back in the living room, as one would do to a badly behaved baby. Jihyo was shocked at the way Nayeon behaved around Jeongyeon - she had met Nayeon before Jeongyeon, and without her she functioned like a normal adult, and had even helped Jihyo count her money and shop, but as soon as Jeongyeon was within range, Nayeon would -

“Jeong-ie!” Nayeon called sadly, and Jeongyeon quickly went back to her. “Sugar cubes!” Jeongyeon nodded completely seriously, walking back to the kitchen, grabbing the sugar cubes, and pouring some into a bowl for Nayeon. She gave them to Nayeon, who gave Jeongyeon a hug as thanks. “You’re ‘te best, Jeong-ie,” Nayeon said, and Jeongyeon smiled, pleased, at her before going back to the kitchen again.

Jihyo watched in exasperation - as soon as Jeongyeon was in the kitchen, Nayeon chewed her sugar cubes quietly, glaring at Jihyo. “Is there something on my face, Jihyo?” she spat annoyedly, and Jihyo shook her head in resignation, going back to the kitchen. ‘Is this a teenager or an infant?’ she thought to herself. 

Due to Nayeon’s demand for random foods around the kitchen, they had ended up not getting anything done.

Lesson Two:

. . .

Lesson Two?

Jihyo gaped in alarm as she realized that was the only time she had ever done any resemblance of cooking, and she glared furiously at the cabbage, trying to will it to prepare itself into a dish, and it was at this particular moment that Tzuyu stuck her head in. “Unnie? Should I make dinner?”

Jihyo was presented with two equally outrageous choices: Let Tzuyu cook the dinner. Or. Try to cook the dinner herself.

“Sure.” 

Tzuyu was a fantastic cook, and Jihyo was having a great time eating all of the food she had cooked.

Tzuyu noted, “You eat a lot.” Jihyo nodded, with a, “Work hard, eat hard.” Tzuyu thought about all the suitcases Jihyo had carried that day, nodded, and dumped some more cabbage in Jihyo’s bowl.

A FEW HOURS LATER. . .

Tzuyu was taking a bath, and Jihyo took this time to inspect the room, along with getting the bed ready. She looked at it bizarrely, then decided to leave the room to throw some towles on the couch. She didn’t want Tzuyu to be cold, so she made sure Tzuyu had all the blankets, and then she lit the fireplace in her room.

After Tzuyu came out, (looking sleepy, and rightfully so; it was hard to get a goodnight’s sleep on the boat) she flopped down on the bed, and Jihyo made sure the fireplace had enough wood before turning to leave the room.

“Where are you going?” Tzuyu asked, fully awake now. Jihyo gestured outside. “To the couch?” Tzuyu looked at her disapprovingly, then patted the space next to her. Jihyo finally relented, (it seemed like lately that was happening often) and she had to admit it was nice to sleep with Tzuyu.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Despite her best attempts, it was revealed that Jihyo couldn’t cook. Tzuyu had laughed at her. Then, that afternoon, “Unnie?”

Jihyo quickly walked over to the kitchen, seeing Tzuyu in an apron and holding out another one. “I’ll pass,” Jihyo said, but after a minute she sighed and put the apron on. Tzuyu smiled at her, showing her a bowl with flour inside. “Now, flour, milk and eggs first,” Tzuyu instructed.  
Several hours later, Jihyo made her first cake.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Jihyo collected the matches, threw some firewood into the fireplace, and was about to strike up the fire when Tzuyu suddenly appeared beside her. “Hi unnie-” Jihyo quickly shoved her back in horror. “Miss Tzuyu, this is the fireplace!” Tzuyu grabbed the matches, saying, “I know. I’m helping.” After watching Tzuyu unsuccessfully try to start the fire multiple times (once even holding it backwards) Jihyo facepalmed and showed Tzuyu how to do it the right way.

Tzuyu stepped back, observing the fire, then gave Jihyo a thumbs up. Later that day, Tzuyu was in the living room. The house was cozy now, and there were blankets scattered all around the room. It was warm, and Tzuyu laid down on the floor with a blanket, lazily reading her book. Jihyo came into the room with two cups of tea, smiling at the warm atmosphere.

They drank the tea in comfortable silence, and Jihyo asked, “What’s that?” Tzuyu held up the book excitedly, saying, “A book Princess Mina lent to me. It’s about the royal history of Twiceland.” Jihyo nodded, listening to Tzuyu. 

She was wearing a red scarf, decorated with little teacups, and a small, brown hat with the silhouette of a bunny in a pattern around it, along with white mittens that had light blue outlines.

Jihyo smiled at her, thinking, ‘Cute.’

Before she had a chance to process what she just thoug it, Tzuyu had pulled her down on the floor, right next to her. She was elaborating and pointing out things in her book.

So that was how Jihyo acquired elaborate knowledge about the history of Twiceland.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

‘Dear Nayeon,’ Jihyo started again, relieved that it was working. Dipping her pen into ink, she continued.  
‘It’s very cold here. Extremely so. And I suspect there’s going to be a blizzard soon,’ she wrote. ‘Are you all staying warm? Oh, what am I saying - of course you are. Did you find any leads on the Leaping Roach? Whatever the name was.’

She took a look outside, where Tzuyu was collecting flowers.

‘Miss Tzuyu is doing fine, quite well, I must say, for someone who’s just gone through a traumatic experience. I’ve had the pleasure of accompanying her-’

“I’ve had the pleasure of accompanying her,” Nayeon mimicked in a squeaky voice. Jeongyeon, at her side, snickered. “Honestly, what is she doing?” Nayeon said, slamming the paper down. “Why does she even bother to write letters if they’re like this?!” Jeongyeon looked at her aggravated face, and chuckled. “I’ve had the pleasure - had the pleasure of accompa-” Nayeon furiously slammed the paper down again, then grabbed a pen and paper, quickly scribbling out in anger,

‘Hey bro, are you guys married yet,’ before Jeongyeon dragged Nayeon away. “Nabongs!” Jeongyeon called, in shock. “S-Stop it!” she giggled as Nayeon tickled her. Nayeon pulled away, before attempting to write, ‘stop being a coward and court her,’ before Jeongyeon frustratedly moved her away, plopping her down on the middle of the floor.

“Now, Nabongs, do I need to put you into time-out?” Nayeon flushed embarrassingly, and didn’t respond, leaving Jeongyeon time to write her own reply.

“Hello, Jihyo,” Tzuyu read. Jihyo had just received Nayeon’s letter back, and Tzuyu had wanted to read it, so they sat down on the couch. Tzuyu then continued. “Things here are fine, Princess Mina is, you know, still. . .” Tzuyu coughed, then continued, “Princess Sana is, well, she’s fine, but just concerned about Princess Dahyun.”

“Okay, maybe things aren’t very fine, but you know, no worries. We’ve got this under control.” Tzuyu snorted, then quickly covered her mouth, apologizing. After Jihyo laughed, she continued. “Oh, yes, we’re staying warm. So warm, in fact,” here, the handwriting changed to a sloppier section, “I almost had a heat stroke the other day -” the normal handwriting returned. “Sorry. That was Nayeon, she’s trying to sabotage the letter, so I had to put her in time-out.”

Tzuyu burst out laughing at that, “Time out?!” and put the letter down, trying to control her laughter. Jihyo was completely exasperated. Seemingly Nayeon was still being a baby, she thought. “Let’s move on,” she groaned, and after a few more chuckles Tzuyu did.

“The summer ball’s in a few weeks, it’s a shame that you and ‘Miss Tzuyu’ couldn’t be there. I bet it’ll be boring without you.” Jihyo huffed at that, saying, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Tzuyu kept reading, almost finished with the letter. “Anyway, wishing you two a warm summer, and if there is a blizzard, a very safe trip. Have fun! Can’t wait to see you and ‘Miss Tzuyu,’ when you come back.” There, Jeongyeon had signed her name, dignified, but the effect was ruined when Nayeon signed her name with a small bunny and heart drawn to the side.

Because Tzuyu was laughing, Jihyo had a need to tell her, “It gets worse. She refuses to sign without the heart on official documents too.” After Tzuyu had calmed down, she saw another thing scribbled at the bottom.

“P. S. Jihyo, Nayeon has a special message she’d like to give to you, I put it in a separate piece of paper in the envelope,” Tzuyu read curiously, and before she had a react, Jihyo had already grabbed the envelope, reading (thank god, not out loud), ‘Hey bro, are you guys married yet? Stop being a coward and cout her,’ and as soon as Jihyo read it, she tore it up into a hundred pieces, and then ran and threw it into the fireplace.

Tzuyu watched with horror and confusement, before Jihyo nodded stiffly, “My apologies.” She felt her face burning, and she glared into space, promising, ‘Im Nayeon, you better hope Jeongyeon’s there to save you because I’m going to punch you in the face.’

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

The first snowflakes of the storm drifted onto the ground, both Tzuyu and Jihyo watching excitedly. “Snow!” Tzuyu said, and Jihyo smiled at her. “How much snow do you think there’ll be?” Tzuyu asked. Jihyo shrugged, picking up her hot chocolate and taking a sip. It was still warm in the house, thankfully, and Jihyo lit the fire in Tzuyu’s room, as it was almost time to sleep.

Tzuyu climbed into bed, and looked at Jihyo. Jihyo glanced away, blushing lightly, and then put the oil lamp down, making it dim, before laying down next to Tzuyu. It wasn’t a full minute before Tzuyu was tugging at her hand. Jihyo turned over to look at her, and - shit. 

Tzuyu looked so goddamn pretty, and Jihyo’s breath caught in her throat before she felt something warm on her face - while she had been spacing out, Tzuyu had pulled her closer, resulting in her face being extremely, extremely close to Tzuyu’s neck.

Her first instinct was to push her away. ‘Stop being a coward and court her,’ briefly flashed through her mind, and she blinked forcefully before she reminded herself that this was normal, this is what friends did - like Nayeon and Jeongyeon! They did this - oh, bad example. Very bad example.

But it was pointless for Jihyo to worry because Tzuyu had already fallen asleep. Jihyo watched her peaceful face, and, blushing, she put her face closer to Tzuyu’s neck, inhaling her scent - this was weird.

Weird, but strangely nice. In fact, after a few minutes Jihyo relaxed, smiled, and fell into a calm slumber.

Jihyo blinked a few times, feeling drowsy from sleep. The curtain was half-open, and she could see the heavy layer of snow. However, she hadn’t processed that yet, instead looking around the room before feeling something warm shifting next to her.

“Morning, unnie,” Tzuyu said, half awake, and resting her head on her hand, laying on her side. Jihyo blushed, nodding, and she got out of bed, stretching. Tzuyu sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Jihyo put her uniform on. (Even though there was practically no one else for ten miles, Jihyo took her job very seriously.)

Jihyo glanced over, and suddenly - it was one of those moments, where you realize something, but it’s not just anything, it’s everything, because afterwards there’s no turning back, there’s a tilting of the entire world that makes you doubt everything you’ve ever known, but at the same time it’s revitalizing, like a cold drink on a summer night, or the return of the sun after a long storm, because

Tzuyu was sitting, looking up at Jihyo. Her brown hair was messy, hanging down past her shoulders, and it seemed to glow from the window’s light. She was wearing a pale lime nightgown, maybe silk, and it was adorned with flowers on the edges. Blinking slowly at Jihyo, Tzuyu’s eyes seemed to possess a strange fragility, and in the moment Jihyo was filled with strength, because she would do anything to protect this girl. 

Her mouth was hanging slightly open, and Jihyo closed it, swallowing dryly. She finished putting her uniform on, then left without a word, back pressing against the door. What was going on? Heart erratically beating, she headed downstairs.

What was going on? She couldn’t understand, and while she definitely hated this feeling, a part of her was clinging onto it for - why? 

“Snow,” Tzuyu said, whipping Jihyo away from her internal debate. Jihyo looked out the window, where there was no more than two feet of snow lying on the ground. “Snow,” Tzuyu repeated, and there was a second of peace before both of them were scrambling to get their winter gear on, and Tzuyu was frantically pulling her boots up, Jihyo laughing at her and throwing her her gloves, and finally they stood out in the snow, full of wonder.

Like an era of long ago, the snow shined and glittered so that each snowflake looked like a diamond. Everywhere they looked, the blindingly white color filled the landscape, and Tzuyu giggled, picking up a handful of the fluffy snow and - throwing it towards Jihyo.

An outraged gasp was the response, and a few minutes later, the snowball fight of the century was happening. Jihyo had blockaded herself behind a wall, and she ducked her head out, taunting, “Heh! You’ll never get me now-OW!” Tzuyu had thrown a snowball directly at Jihyo’s forehead, and, growling, Jihyo launched more towards Tzuyu (missing most of them.) At noontime, after more than an hour of this, they went back inside, laughing.

They were completely covered in snow, much to Jihyo’s dismay. She quickly ushered Tzuyu into a hot bath, and changed herself, before drying off their clothes as best as she could, which turned out to be pretty useless when they went back outside that afternoon to build a snowman.

“What should we call him?” Jihyo asked. Tzuyu stared at the snowman, who was tilting to one side, and had gloomy sticks for arms. “Jeongyeon oppa?” she suggested, and Jihyo choked hearing that, almost falling into the snow, laughing her head off. “WAIT A MINUTE,” she wheezed between breaths, and it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

A FEW NIGHTS LATER. . .

They had just gotten ready for bed, and Jihyo was taking a quick bath, while Tzuyu was plotting something. She was bored, and while Jihyo went outside to the town sometimes to get food, she ‘wasn’t allowed’ to go anywhere, apparently.

Not thinking of the consequences, she snickered as she opened the bedroom window, taking much too long to get down, jumping lightly on the grass. She looked all around her, breathing in the fresh night air, and started walking towards the forest.

Crossing a river, she continued walking for a few minutes before questioning her entire existence because it had started raining. Groaning loudly, she quickly ran towards the forest, where there was less rain because of the trees. For at least ten minutes, she lightly jogged around aimlessly until seeing a few large bushes. She made her way over there, seeing there was an open space in the middle, and she sat down, whimpering.

Jihyo stepped out of the bath, feeling a cold gust of wind blow her way. She glanced towards the window, which was open, and she snorted. “Tzuyu, please keep them closed,” she said, walking over and feeling rain on her face. When she received no answer, she turned around. Leaving her towel, she briskly walked towards the kitchen, calling, “Tzuyu?!” Loudly. When there was still no response, she cursed and slammed the window open, sprinting outside.

She could see vague traces of footsteps, but in her head all she could think about was what had happened last time, images of Tzuyu tied up - trying not to get hysterical, she traced the footsteps to a creek, and stepping past it - they vanished. Rain was pouring down, making Jihyo completely drenched.

Finding it hard to breathe, she panicked, turning around in a 360, before putting a hand to her face. Resisting the urge to cry, she tried to summon any remnants of logic she had. Panicking, she started running towards the forest, yelling, “TZUYU!”

Cursing again, she pushed past bushes, trying again, “TZUYU-AH!” she called, brushing rain off her face. Hearing a small whine of some sort, she quickly turned around, gently but quickly moving the bush, until she saw a small bundle of soaked clothing, and, relieved, held Tzuyu close. Patting Tzuyu’s back, Jihyo mumbled, “My God, I was so worried,” and slowly stood up, checking Tzuyu. “Let’s go,” Jihyo said. Tzuyu nodded numbly, and Jihyo did her best to take Tzuyu home safely.

Tzuyu was now seated in front of the fireplace in her room, Jihyo still shaky from the event. “Are you - are you alright?” Jihyo asked, passing her a warm cup of tea. Tzuyu shifted the blanket that she was wrapped around in, murmuring, “Yeah. Thanks.” 

Jihyo went to close the window, the rain only getting stronger. “Why were you there?” Jihyo asked, confused. Tzuyu blinked a few times, before deciding, “I wanted to go on a walk.”

Jihyo gaped at her for a solid five seconds before facepalming, exasperatedly saying, “A WALK?! In the middle of the night?” She sunk down to the ground exaggeratedly, dramatically pounding her fist on the floor while wailing, “I can’t believe I was so worried when you were just taking a walk!”

Tzuyu laughed lightly, sheepishly saying, “Sorry, unnie.” Jihyo gave her another glance, before plopping down on the bed next to her. “Don’t do that again, I was scared,” Jihyo mumbled, feeling tired.

Tzuyu folded her blanket away, nodding an apology, and put the tea on the dresser, before moving Jihyo under the covers. After a few minutes of silence, Tzuyu laid down next to her. Seeing she was still asleep, Tzuyu slowly inched closer, before lightly grabbing Jihyo’s shirt.

Gently scooting down, she nuzzled her face into Jihyo’s ch, inhaling her soothing scent, and starting to fall into a warm dream. Much to her surprise, however, Jihyo was still awake, or at least slightly so, because she mumbled, “‘Night, Tzuyu.”

Tzuyu smiled up at her, whispering back, “Sweet dreams.”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 10 to 15 — Readers: we want jitzu, did u forget about them??  
> Chapter 16 — Me: Jitzu now? Saida Shippers: WHAT ABOUT SAID- Me: JITZU NOW, YAYYYYYYY  
> I’m sorry don’t kill me -  
> Some pure fluff for everyone’s hearts :) Hope you all enjoyed! An adult Jeong putting an adult Nayeon in time out ended me. Jitzu fans what did u think 😎


	18. Departure

Chapter 18 - Departure

“Hey there.” Dahyun gestured at the glitter jewels, saying, “Could I have that necklace?” The green person lifted the necklace slowly, as if inspecting it. After a tense silence, they threw it towards Dahyun, saying, “Sure.”

Dahyun caught it, sighing in relief, and then was about to thank the avocado when it seemed like they had disappeared, but then Dahyun felt something behind her -

What happened next was a blur. The sword was faster than anything she had seen before, and it was frightening. She could only see the shine from it, a quick millisecond before there was a sudden, biting pain in her arm, and she fell to the floor, in too much pain to process anything else.

The avocado walked up to Dahyun, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her up. “Now, listen here, Princess. You either give me the password to the royal safe, or you can spend a fun time waiting for the royal family to pick you up.”

Dahyun coughed blood, before gritting out, “I don’t - know safe code-,” she gasped for air, not able to think clearly. The avocado leaned closer, then said, “Alright then. Let’s get you-” suddenly Dahyun was dropped, and she gave a shuddering breath, trying to get back some oxygen, clutching her right arm, and she looked up to see what had happened.

Jeongyeon stood there, and there was a complete fury in her eyes that almost made Dahyun feel scared, but instead she felt nothing but relief seeing Jeongyeon. She had knocked the intruder over, and she took an ominous step towards them, and Dahyun would’ve felt bad for the avocado if she wasn’t dying from the pain in her arm.

“You again,” Jeongyeon snarled. “I should’ve known better.” Drawing her sword out, Jeongyeon faced the avocado, who strangely seemed pleased with this turn of events. “Ah! Sir Jeongyeon, will you pull out a ‘flash bomb’ like your comrade?” Jeongyeon closed her eyes, annoyed, and stuck her sword out, making the green roach jump around to dodge her strikes. “Shut up,” Jeongyeon deadpanned.

She glanced over at Dahyun. There was a lot of lost blood there, and she looked close to passing out. She couldn’t fight the Viper and carry Dahyun at the same time, so she had to end this quickly, or hope for Nayeon to come.

Nayeon in question was currently hurrying after Jeongyeon. She didn’t understand fully what Jeongyeon had seen, but she wasn't about to wait around and find out. “Princess Sana, wait here!” Nayeon called, and she was sprinting after Jeongyeon, weaving through the forest.

As soon as she saw Dahyun her eyes widened, going over to her. Jeongyeon was in the middle of a battle with - my god, the Vicious Viper, and Nayeon was trying to process everything when Jeongyeon commanded, “Hurry up and take her back, idiot!” Springing back to her senses, she lifted Dahyun, cursing, and jogged as fast as she could towards the castle. The Viper tried to get closer to Nayeon, but Jeongyeon blocked every attempt, trying her best to maneuver so that Nayeon had a chance of passing through.

“My God,” Nayeon muttered, horrified. Dahyun’s blood had spilled over everywhere, and she was blinking slowly, probably in shock. “HANG IN THERE,” Nayeon called, about to lose it. She felt like Dahyun nodded, but it could’ve easily been her jolting from the furious movement of Nayeon trying to run through the forest.  
Nayeon glanced ahead. The castle had never looked so far away.

MEANWHILE. . .

“You damn bitch, I swear to God, move out of the way!” the Viper called. Jeongyeon paid no mind, instead responding with a clatter. As the Viper’s sword fell to the ground, Jeongyeon wasted no time circling around her and knocking her out. Shooting a look filled with disdain at the green blob, she tried to find some sort of rope nearby that could function as a handcuff.

Having successfully tied the green thing to a tree (and hitting them once more in the head, for no particular reason), Jeongyeon was quick to try and find the military guards to take the roach to the prison. After a long explanation of what had happened, a few prison guards untied the Viper and handcuffed them properly, which gave Jeongyeon a sense of relief.

Jeongyeon quickly made her way back to the castle, looking for Nayeon and Dahyun.

Sana was panicking - she hadn’t understood why Nayeon and Jeongyeon had left so suddenly. And why hadn’t Dahyun shown up? She got her answer when there was a distant blob - Nayeon, it looked like, carrying someone who she realized must be Dahyun.

Relieved, she went towards them before seeing a dark red liquid that was all over Nayeon. Confused, she looked at Dahyun, and - Oh my God. Running towards them, the thought invaded her mind that it was Dahyun the blood was coming from, and she was on the verge of crying, saying, “What happened?!” Nayeon shook her head, instead replying firmly, “Sana, calm down. Get a doctor.”

She wanted nothing more to hold Dahyun instead and have Nayeon call a doctor, but she wouldn’t know what to do, and besides, the sight of Dahyun like this was too awful, so instead Sana ran inside, trying her best not to cause a scene (the summer ball was still going on - though thankfully most of the guests had left) and she ran halfway through the castle, pleading to the royal doctor, who had immediately followed her back.

He took a look at Dahyun, surveying her arm. “It’s a deep cut, and she’s had a major loss of blood,” he told them, and Sana was in the middle of fainting, but the doctor continued, “She’ll be fine, as long as we get her to the hospital soon.”

Hearing that, both Nayeon and Sana quickly yelled at the doctor to hurry up, and he tried his best, getting nurses and transporting Dahyun to the hospital. Nayeon and Sana followed after them, and while they were stitching up Dahyun’s arm, Sana and Nayeon had to wait outside.

The hospital walls were blank and ominous, and Sana had started crying the moment she sat down, Nayeon doing her best to comfort her. A few hours later, Jeongyeon showed up, looking tired. “Hey Sana,” she greeted, and glanced at Nayeon. “Go change,” she said. “And go sleep, too.” Nayeon was about to argue with her - Jeongyeon looked like a wreck, but finally she decided against it, leaving the hallway.

Jeongyeon put an arm around Sana, patting her shoulder. “She’s going to be perfectly alright,” Jeongyeon said. “It looks bad, but it’s just a cut.” Sana nodded lightly, sniffling. “What happened?” she asked hoarsely.

Jeongyeon’s eyes darkened. “The Vicious Viper, again. Somehow she was tracking Dahyun, she must’ve - tried to get Dahyun this time because she had no guard.” Jeongyeon put a hand to her forehead, sighing. “I’m sorry. I should’ve seen it. . . I shouldn’t have let my guard down.” 

Sana looked at her reproachfully, insisting, “Jeongyeon! If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve known about it!” She shifted in her seat, saying, “Thank you.”

Jeongyeon looked surprised, but she nodded nethertheless.

It was morning before the door to Dahyun’s room opened, and immediately Sana woke up, rushing towards it. “Dahyun!” she wailed, and, of course, she was crying again. Dahyun blinked slowly, wearily, and gave a faint smile, saying, “‘Ey, Sana unnie.” Jeongyeon gave Dahyun a wave, an underlying message of, ‘I’ll tell you about the Vicious Viper later,’ and Dahyun blinked thankfully.

Deciding she was too tired to third wheel with a half-asleep Dahyun and a crying Sana, Jeongyeon closed Dahyun’s hospital door door, being greeted with Nayeon who had just came back. “Hey Jeong,” she said, giving Jeongyeon a hug. Jeongyeon smiled in return, stifling a yawn. Nayeon glared at her, then demanded, “I took a nap already. I can handle this, so you go take a break now.”

After a long while of arguing, Jeongyeon finally was pushed out of the hallway against her wishes, and the door was being shut in her face when she caught a glimpse of someone - Momo.

. . .

Oh no. Oh. No. OH FRICKIN NO - but the door was promptly slammed in her face, and she groaned in frustration before facepalming. There was no way Nayeon could handle this. There was no way Sana would stay calm. There was no way for Dahyun to help either. Frick.

‘Dear Jihyo, 

Nayeon’s kicked me out of the hospital (I’ll explain) so I decided to write you a letter. How are things with you and Tzuyu? Hopefully you’re relaxing. You’re definitely having a better time than we are. Anyways, we finally locked the Vicious Viper up, which is something to celebrate. However, she was in the middle of attacking poor Dahyun, (again, trying to blackmail the royal family for money. Honestly, some people in this world.) when I knocked her out.

Dahyun’s fine, she’s got a cut in her arm but of course  
Sana’s already convinced herself Dahyun’s just going to drop dead if she leaves her hospital room for more than two minutes. Honestly, I’m not surprised the whole palace knows about their relationship, Sana’s about as obvious as a red seashell.

Nayeon’s a handful, as usual. She wants me to tell you to ‘hurry up and marry Tzuyu,’ which is kind of ridiculous, but update us about the marriage in your response.

P.S. Note: When you come back, both of you, please, PLEASE do NOT bring up Momo in Sana’s presence. It’s a long story. . .

Sincerely,  
Jeongyeon.’

Jeongyeon folded the letter up, and she was too tired to walk to her bed, so she fell asleep at her desk.

THE HOSPITAL. . .

Sana was busy crying over Dahyun, and Nayeon was chewing on a carrot at the doorway, (hmph. Jeongyeon was too tall for her own good. Maybe this would help her grow taller.) when suddenly she saw Momo on the other side of the hall.

Not being as sharp as Jeongyeon, she immediately greeted, “Hi Momo!” before realizing maybe she shouldn’t have done that. She caught herself, wondering, ‘Why shouldn’t I have done that?’

Her answer appeared at a furious ball of, well, fury. Namely, Sana, who was standing in front of the room and looking like she wanted to kill someone.

Almost dropping her carrot stick in horror, Nayeon blinked a few times, looking at Momo and trying to signal telepathically, ‘LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE.’ Much to her distress, it didn’t work. Nayeon couldn’t see Sana properly, but she was scared as Sana growled a, “Where.”

Too wimpy to try to de-escalate the situation, Nayeon pointed at Momo then promptly escaped inside Dahyun’s room, breathing a sigh of relief when the younger girl was still asleep.

Sana glared at Momo, who was trying her best to glare back, not too sure what was happening. “YOU!” Sana angrily shouted, Momo jumping a little from the loudness. “Me! Yes, I’m Momoring-” Sana walked (or rather, stomped) to her, snarling, “I know who you are, and listen here, you - homewrecker-” Momo scoffed, replying, “Well, I’m not a homewrecker because someone hasn’t proposed yet-”

Flushing, Sana shook her head, saying, “That’s not the point! YOU! What do you think about Dahyun?”  
In Momo’s defense, she was trying to say, ‘Dahyun’s amazing,’ and, ‘All of her piano books are mine,’ but somehow she ended up saying,

“Dahyun’s mine.”

Nayeon heard it, choking on her carrot, and quickly looked to make sure Dahyun was still asleep, thankfully, and, trying not to faint, Nayeon quickly stuck the rest of her carrot in her mouth, closed her eyes tightly, and put her hands over her ears. (she really was a child.)

“YOU - SHUT UP - WHAT?!” Sana was this close - THIS CLOSE - to throwing Momo across the hallway, (and maybe bury her in the gardens, yes, what a fantastic idea) but a soft, “Momoring?” distracted both of them.

Huffing her way to Dahyun’s room, Sana pouted while Momo waved to Dahyun, and said, “Hi Dubu! Look, I brought you some food, food is good!” As usual, Momo was being confusing, and Dahyun didn’t respond, instead saying, “Please stop bothering my girlfriend.”

At this point, Nayeon sighed in relief, because surely the two wouldn’t fight if Dahyun told them not to, and grabbed another carrot to eat.

Momo blinked a few times, before scowling. “Well, she called me a homewrecker!” she protested, pointing at Sana. Sana sniffed, then said in defense, “WELL, I DON’T LIKE HER!” Dahyun sighed again, grabbing Sana’s hand softly and pulling her closer. “Stop it. You guys could be best friends.” Sana was about to drop the topic, satisfied because of Dahyun’s words, when Momo muttered quietly, 

“Well, I kissed her last,” and Sana’s eyes widened, a deathly anger settling over her, and she had already grabbed Momo and planned out her entire funeral service in vivid detail when Nayeon threw a few carrots at them.

“Guys let’s all just calm down,” she suggested, and two pairs of equally mad and scary glares were thrown her way, and she gulped nervously, instead squeaking, “Nevermind! Carry on.”

“You say that to my face, Momo, and I’ll throw you into next Tuesday-” Momo nodded, saying, “I sure can! I KISSED DAHYUN LAST.”

Later, she would thank Dahyun for saving her, but at the moment as Momo watched Dahyun pull Sana closer, (Momo wanted Sana to punch her, for the sole reason of having a good excuse to punch her back) she felt a sick feeling of envy in her stomach.

“Come here,” Dahyun mumbled, too tired to deal with the two, and instead pulled Sana down, and, gently grabbing some of her hair, placed a delicate and light kiss on her lips. Sana’s eyes widened, pulling back for a second, and then she glanced at Dahyun’s lips, and leaned forward again, kissing her roughly this time, nudging Dahyun’s nose and slipping her tongue into Dahyun’s mouth, making the younger one gasp softly. Sana nipped Dahyun’s bottom lip with her teeth, before Dahyun finally pulled away, face pink.

“There. Now you’ve kissed me last,” Dahyun declared, sitting back into her bed. Sana blushed lightly, feeling a lot better now, and sat down next to Dahyun, holding her hand. Momo huffed quietly, and she decided that she was, in fact, not over Dahyun, WHICH WAS EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC, and she glared at the wall. Dahyun turned to look at her, cheeks flushed and eyes darkened, and Momo’s breath hitched in her throat at the sight, (STOP IT MOMORING) before processing what Dahyun had just said.

“Momo, maybe you should leave now. I’ll see you in the music room after I get out of the hospital.” Nodding numbly, Momo shut the door with a finality that she hadn’t been prepared for.

Dahyun didn’t meet Sana’s gaze, instead saying, “Sorry.” Sana nuzzled into Dahyun’s side, whispering, “You said she was over it.” Dahyun grimaced, saying, “I thought so. . . I didn’t - it must hurt for her, too, I didn’t mean to. . .” Didn’t mean to drag Momo into this mess, she finished mentally. Sorry, she apologized. 

Sana didn’t reply, instead placing her face in the crook of Dahyun’s neck, and placing sweet kisses on it lazily. “It’s fine. Now she knows that you’re mine.” Dahyun blushed at the statement, (Sana was so intense) but smiled, pleased too, and nodded, turning her head slightly towards Sana.

Meanwhile, Nayeon was sitting on the floor, whimpering. “Jeong-ie I want to go home!”

‘Hey Jihyo! Jeongyeon finally let me write a letter to you. What’s going on with you and the tall one?? How am I supposed to be the maid of honor if you never get married?? :(

Sana and Dahyun are back to being cheesy, which is annoying, but I’m relieved. Better than Sana being mopey. And Momo’s planning to leave the castle for a while, but maybe she’ll be back when you guys are. Oh yeah! And also Jeongyeon said some fancy, boring stuff about the vicious avocado, which I think is talking about how she’s trapped up forever! Which is good. 

We haven’t received any word from Princess Mina yet, which I guess means that everything’s going well. And the King still believes that she’s studying with the scholar - me and Jeong have told him about at least five made-up letters we got from Mina talking about her studies. 

Actually, I lied, Jeong didn’t let me write this, but it’s fine. I also packed some chocolate for you. You’re welcome. Hurry up and come back. You better be engaged or something, Jeong told me alllll about how you guys sleep together :P 

Cute!

✿ Nayeon! ❀’

Nayeon had dropped the letter off in the morning, and she found Jeongyeon in the hallway outside of Sana’s room. Nayeon smiled - it seemed like Sana and Dahyun were back to normal now, and that meant Jeongyeon was too. “Hi Jeong-ie!” Jeongyeon laughed lightly, and they stood together quietly for a few minutes before Nayeon asked, “Is today Friday?”

Jeongyeon nodded. That was one of the things Nayeon liked about Jeongyeon - she always took her seriously and never made fun of her if she asked a simple question. “Oh ok. I think I have something I forgot tonight,” Nayeon said. Jeongyeon didn’t respond, guessing that it was probably a date. She knew she shouldn’t pry, but she was too curious (jealous) so she asked off-handedly, “Oh really? Are you dating someone?”

Nayeon cheekily grinned, looking at her with a glint in her eye. “Well, it depends. Are you free for dinner tonight?”

It took her a few seconds, but as soon as Jeongyeon realized what Nayeon had just said she coughed violently, opening Sana’s door as an excuse to get away but quickly closing it again after seeing Sana and Dahyun look at her worriedly, and then turned away from Nayeon, saying, “Bathroom.”

Nayeon snickered, then called, “Still the wrong way!” 

Too cute.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

Nayeon steps into the prison hallway, glancing at some of the inmates before heading to the last cell. “Hey there,” she told the man. “I’ve got an offer for you.” 

IN THE PALACE. . .

Momo was standing, rather shamefully, in the music room. Dahyun had a brace on her right arm, and she opened the door with her left, glancing at Momo. “Momoring?” Dahyun asks, and Momo’s struck with a lingering guilt, along with the quickening of her heart. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

Dahyun just blinks at her, replying, “Don’t say sorry. But are you still. . .” Momo doesn’t answer the question, knowing that Dahyun’s asking if she still has a crush on her. “Sorry,” she mumbles again, and Dahyun walks up to give her a hug, which Momo wished she wouldn’t do that, but she still hugged back, and she couldn’t bear to look at Dahyun’s face, so instead, she just said, “Can I go? For a few weeks or something, just to take a break.”

Dahyun’s face falls, but she nods, giving Momo a tight smile. “Of course, Momoring. Anything you need,” Dahyun says, ruffling Momo’s hair.

It’s a few days later when Momo actually leaves, and to her surprise, Sana’s there too, standing next to Dahyun. Momo’s not too sure what to do, but Sana holds her hand out. After staring at it, Momo takes it, shaking it firmly. The two exchange a glance and it’s something of a truce. It’s not perfect, but Momo’s content with it.

Then Dahyun springs forward, giving Momo a big hug, sniffling, “Have a good time, Momo. I’ll miss you.” 

Momo’s throat closes up, but she manages, “Me too,” as she takes in the comforting embrace for a final time.

Momo gives a wave, and she’s in the carriage and it’s leaving faster than Dahyun would want it to. But then Sana grasps her hand, and Dahyun turns to look at Sana’s, blushing slightly. Dahyun leans forward to nuzzle into Sana’s side, and she thinks, ‘Well, this isn’t too bad.’

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope u liked the update, uM SAIDAHMO??? YES SAIDAHMO Lol u all have a good day. (PS I posted a one shot Mihyo fic, if you want to check that out)


	19. They’re Dating. . . ?

Chapter 19 - They’re Dating. . . ?

Jihyo’s at the creek a few miles down from the house, hanging her head in shame. It was morning now, close to lunchtime, and she had taken the laundry, eager for an excuse to leave the house. She tried to recall what had exactly happened earlier.

It started because Jihyo was being worried about Tzuyu, and so she had decided to take an all nighter and was quietly scanning the room when Tzuyu, annoyed, said, “Unnie, why don’t you just sleep?” Jihyo shook her head, and Tzuyu asks a few more times before Jihyo finally snaps.

She was tired, annoyed, and most of all scared from the previous night when Tzuyu had disappeared - as stupid as it sounds, she was horrified when the younger one had vanished. But she knew that it was no excuse for what she then said.

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t so useless!” she bites out, and immediately the air in the room changes, and Jihyo’s mouth is slightly open, as if surprised she actually said that. “No, shit, Tzuyu, I didn’t mean that,” she stutters, but Tzuyu’s already turned around silently, and Jihyo flinches, covering her eyes with her hand.

How stupid could she have been to say something so horrible like that? Jihyo slams her shirt down into the creek, splashing water everywhere. Her and her stupid, impulsive thoughts, and her ability to make anyone near her feel worthless, and she suddenly chucks the shirt she had yards into the creek, angrily watching it float away.

Tzuyu’s not, she knows, she’s always known, because Jihyo understands her, she hopes, how Tzuyu always listens sincerely and her independence, that’s what makes her so strong. Throwing another shirt into the soap tub, she’s extremely upset with herself, but she comes to a conclusion.

She has to apologize. And the sooner the better. It’s too shameful for her not to, and it’s too painful for Tzuyu to even think what she said was even close to what Jihyo thought of her. She picks up all the clothes now, still ashamed.

What if Tzuyu fires her? Does she have enough money to pay for a boat back herself? Wait, she can always ask Jeongyeon to lend her some. Wait, then what other job would she have to take? Surely no one would want to hire someone that got fired from the general’s family. Or what if Tzuyu never wants to see her again? Simple, she goes into hiding. 

Jihyo nods, there are several caves she knows of, or she can always live in a small cottage in a forest somewhere, yes, fantastic. Alright.

Equipped with multiple backup plans, Jihyo heads back home with a heavy heart.

MEANWHILE. . .

Mina blinks lazily, sunlight filtering through the windows of the tower, and she yawns before sitting up, looking down and still feeling a bit dizzy. The last few days, her and Chaeyoung have stayed in this tower, which Mina had protested at first - it looked around two and a half days from collapsing, but Chaeyoung had reassured her that it was ‘perfectly safe.’

And although it was, it was still up higher than she’d have preferred, and Chaeyoung had laughed at her when she couldn’t walk around the top floor by herself. Where was Chaeyoung, anyways? 

Mina elegantly walks down the stairs, hearing lots of clattering that Chaeyoung must be making. Popping her head through the open doorway, she smiles when she sees Chaeyoung attempting to make breakfast. “Hi Minari!” Chaeyoung calls. “Does burnt bacon and acorns with a side of strawberries tempt you?” Mina laughs lightly, saying, “Sure.”

It’s been, what, a few months since they’ve left the capital? She honestly can’t recall, and she asks Chaeyoung if they can send a letter back. “To Nayeon or your parents?” Chaeyoung asks, taking a bite of the strawberries. Mina scoffs, saying, “Your Majesty, I, Princess Mina, have written this letter to inform you that I’ve eloped with-” Chaeyoung blushes, saying, “Alright, alright! I get it.” She huffs, “Well, we’ll visit a post office soon, you can deliver it then. I’m sure Nayeon will appreciate it.” Mina nods happily, and then Chaeyoung asks her something unexpected.

“Are. . . are you happy?” Mina looks up at her, putting the acorn down. 

Since they’ve left, Chaeyoung’s shown her nearly four provinces in Twiceland, all of which they had visited at their own pace. If they wanted to leave somewhere at midnight, or stay in an abandoned bookstore for a week, it was their choice. They could sleep whenever, eat whatever, (though she didn’t recommend frogs. Let’s not bring that up) and do whatever they wanted, including yelling at rocks that bothered them, taking hikes and getting lost, and collecting a whole basket of flowers to make headbands for each other.

And she’s visited a lot of the people Chaeyoung had told her about, including the nice family that gave them dinner and a nice room for a week, the divorced baker that Chaeyoung worked for sometimes, and several other aspiring artists that were Chaeyoung’s friends. The part of her that Mina had previously only known through ink and clumsy words were brought to life, and Mina felt like in these precious few months, she had been brought into Chaeyoung’s real life.

Mina laughed, shooting Chaeyoung a gummy smile. “Of course,” she told her, and Chaeyoung gave her a lopsided grin at the warm sentiment.

“Oh yeah!” Chaeyoung exclaims, standing up in excitement. “The cruise! I’ve always told you about, the one where-” Mina finished the sentence, saying, “The one where you snuck in on or the nice guy that let you on for free?” Chaeyoung scratched her head, saying, “The nice guy. And I didn’t sneak on, per say, it was more of an uninformed participant from the sailor’s point of view.” Mina shook her head in exasperation.

“Alright, we need to leave now!” Chaeyoung calls with urgency. Mina looks at her plate, half of her strawberries still uneaten, and then asks, “Now?!” Chaeyoung nods frantically, already sprinting up the stairs to collect their belongings. “Five minutes!” 

Quickly, Mina shoves as many strawberries as she can into her mouth, before laughing about how un-queenly this was, but then, she supposed, nothing about this was very proper, was it?

It was late afternoon when they arrived, which was impressive, even for them. It only took ten minutes to run out of the tower and get on the bike. Then, it was Mina clinging on for her life as Chaeyoung veered through the small city, and she swears they had almost crashed at least a dozen times, but of course Chaeyoung denied any accusations of the sort.

They had then found an old farmer who let them sit in the back of the truck, and Mina had laughed at Chaeyoung’s disgusted expression when there were only piles of hay to sit on. “Chae, it’s just dry grass-” “NO IT’S NOT, THERE’S A HUGE DIFFERENCE!” “Oh, come on, the same person who ate raw oysters doesn’t like to sit on dry grass-” “HAY, CALL IT BY ITS REAL NAME!”

They bickered for a few minutes before deciding to take a nap. It was lunchtime when they stopped by the next small down, and ate at a proper restaurant. (After a long fight, Mina had convinced Chaeyoung that she should sell her jewelry, which gave them a lot of extra money, so neither of them had to work.) Then, they had biked to the coast, before Chaeyoung wandered around, trying to find the cruise ship manager, and finally she dragged Mina along, yelping, “Mr. Zhang!” The older man turned around, laughing once seeing Chaeyoung. “Ah, the small child! Here again, I see. And who’s. . .” he trailed off once seeing Mina.

“Oh! This Mina, my girlfriend!” Chaeyoung introduced proudly. Mr. Zhang laughed heartily, clapping Chaeyoung on the back, proudly exclaiming, “Finally!” before turning to Mina and letting out the squeakiest, most high-pitched yelp they had ever heard. “WAIT A MINUTE! MINA?! AS IN MYOU-“

Mina shook her head, already used to this reaction. “No, no, of course not,” she lied. Mr. Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, before muttering, “Of course, so many Minas around, my bad,” and then went up to Mina to shake her hand, saying, “Miss Mina! So lovely to meet you, the young one here can’t shut up about you-”

“That’s enough!” Chaeyoung squealed, a light blush present. “We came here to ask if we could go on the cruise?” Mr. Zhang stepped back, before nodding and saying, “Of course! It’ll be a few minutes to get ready.” 

As promised, they got on the boat a while later, and Mr. Zhang kindly left them alone, instead steering in whatever the steering room of a boat was. Chaeyoung giggled, telling Mina, “You can see so much pretty scenery here. I’ll show you. . .”

IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. . .

Jihyo stood, holding the laundry basket shakily, and opened the door. Her breath caught after seeing Tzuyu waiting at the kitchen table. Putting down the laundry, she walks over slowly to Tzuyu, sitting down. The window’s open, and a fresh breeze and sunlight gleam in, contrasting the heavy atmosphere. “I’m sorry, Tzuyu,” Jihyo repeats like a robot. She shakes her head, then tries, “I - you’re really amazing, Tzuyu, I was just sleep-deprived, I wasn’t thinking straight, I’m so sorry,” she chokes out, and Tzuyu’s staring at her, and it’s too hard for Jihyo to read what Tzuyu is thinking, so instead she just waits.

“Teach me.” Jihyo tilts her head, confused. “You’re right. I am useless. So teach me defensive moves.” Jihyo cries dramatically, “NO, I’M SORRY, YOU’RE NOT USELESS, TZUYU-” Tzuyu facepalms, covering Jihyo’s mouth with a hand. “You’re so loud. Just hurry up and teach me.”

In hindsight, it was a smart decision, really. They both felt more at ease after Tzuyu got the basics down - at least now, Tzuyu could hold off any ill-intentioned intruders until Jihyo could help. And it never hurt to be prepared, did it? But at the moment Jihyo was overcome with shame.

Tzuyu didn’t seem affected much, but Jihyo promised to make it up to her. Honestly, Tzuyu thought a pouting Jihyo was pretty cute - funny. Funny. 

The rest of the weeks passed without incident, Jihyo and Tzuyu spending time together, lazing about and occasionally doing something productive like writing letters.

The Vicious Viper had gotten imprisoned, they learned, and that night they had a celebratory dinner. Jihyo had felt so relieved when she had gotten the news. 

Apparently Jeongyeon had defeated her pretty easily, which Jihyo had narrowed her eyes at. Without the flash bomb, she didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened. Instead, she looked over at Tzuyu, who was sleeping on Jihyo’s shoulder and smiled thankfully.  
Before they knew it, it was time to go back, and it felt like it had only been two days since Jihyo had last been on the boat, cursing the stupid waves.

Tzuyu laughed, looking at Jihyo who was, again, going through all of their luggage. “Jihyo unnie, what are you doing?” Jihyo looked up, quickly and heatedly defending, “Well, first of all I need to check through this-” she was interrupted by Tzuyu pulling her on the bed.

“Well, Miss Bodyguard, I’m cold, so check that later,” Tzuyu said, slowly wrapping her arms around Jihyo and drifting to sleep. Jihyo gaped for a solid minute before shaking her head, scoffing, “Well, I mean, it IS my job to take care of you, so.” Tzuyu snorted quietly, before pressing her nose close to Jihyo’s neck.

‘WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK. MALFUNCTION. MALFUNCTION,’ was all that Jihyo’s brain could process, until at last she fell into an uneasy sleep.

AT THE DOCK. . .

Nayeon and Jeongyeon were practically tripping over each other in a race to see who could reach the dock first. “Whoo!” Nayeon called, swinging her hat in a very unprofessional manner. Jeongyeon pumped her fist in the air, almost falling at the action, and grinned, “Alright!”

Dahyun watched the two with a mixture of embarrassment, exasperation, and endearment. Sana, on the other hand, was too busy doing aegyo to pay attention to what was going on. (Plus, she didn’t really care.) “Dahyun-ah, am I cute?” she asked, and Dahyun was quick to coo over her, nodding. “Very cute,” she agreed, and pressed a quick kiss on Sana’s forehead, smiling smugly at the blush that appeared.

Nayeon happened to look back when this was happening, and Jeongyeon followed, both watching disgustedly. “At times like this, I almost wish they hadn’t gotten back together,” Nayeon mumbled, annoyed, and Jeongyeon took the opportunity to hit her on the head. “HEY! DON’T JINX IT!” she yelled, and then she furiously told Nayeon, “Don’t you remember how mopey Sana was?!” Nayeon took a second to think about it, and then said, “Ok, you’re right. This is a lot better.”

‘Honestly,’ Jeongyeon thought, scanning the dock. ‘Half the time she looked like she was about to collapse and die if Dahyun wasn’t there.’

Both trying their best to ignore the overly cute couple, Nayeon jumped up and down after seeing the boat, and then had an ingenious idea. Taking off her scarf, she swung it around crazily, while Jeongyeon yelled, “HIIIII JIHYO!”

The Jihyo in question was on the ship, and finally after seeing the remote coast, she stood up in excitement, her and Tzuyu practically running outside to see their welcoming group. And immediately regretted it.

‘Oh, grEAT,’ Jihyo thought, exasperated. She looked at Nayeon, who was throwing around a red towel or something, and labelled, ‘Idiot one,’ and then looked at Jeongyeon, who she could distantly hear yelling, ‘Idiot two,’ and back behind them, where she assumed Princess Sana and Dahyun were busy being incredibly cheesy, ‘Let’s not even start.’

Tzuyu watched her disturbed expression, chuckling lightly, and then the ship started the agonizingly slow process of docking, in which they hurried to grab their luggage.

Meanwhile, the four on the coast were met by a surprising guest. “Ah, hi everyone! Sorry I’m late,” Momo was panting, having run from the ice cream shop nearby. “Look I brought food for everyone,” she nodded, and handed out ice cream cones to everyone (even Sana, though she did it grudgingly) before they all greeted her kindly. Perhaps Sana’s eyes narrowed slightly and she held onto Dahyun tighter, posessively, but who was Momo to question it?

“I didn’t want to miss it when they came back,” she said, and everyone else nodded, then became quickly distracted when Jihyo and Tzuyu actually arrived on the dock, and they were quickly knocked over by their enthusiastic friends. “Jihhhyooo!” Nayeon cried, making Jihyo drop one of her many suitcases. Tzuyu rolled her eyes then picked some back up as Jeongyeon gave Jihyo a pat on the back.

“Hi Tzuyu!” Sana greeted, and she took a few suitcases from her. “How are you?” Tzuyu nodded shyly, saying, “I’ve been good.” 

Meanwhile, Jeongyeon was snickering, saying, “SO, what happened with Tz-” Jihyo quickly hissed and put a hand on her mouth as Nayeon laughed, adding, “Yes, Jihyo, we’d like to know-” Jihyo quickly growled, “Nothing! NOTHING!” Jeongyeon furrowed her eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two. “Are you sure?” Jihyo groaned and nodded, saying, “YES!” 

During this, Momo had skipped up to Tzuyu, giving her an ice cream, and said, “Awww Tzuyu-chan, here you go!” Tzuyu blushed lightly and took the ice cream, and Momo asked to no one in particular, “Isn’t Tzuyu so cute? Whoever ends up with her will be pretty lucky-”

She was quickly interrupted by getting shoved over by Jihyo, who had an extremely annoyed expression on her face. “No!” Jihyo shouted, and Jeongyeon raised her eyebrows, before getting the sense to ask, “Why not?” Jihyo turned around before grabbing Tzuyu’s hand and saying, “Because we’re dating.”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: NVM false alarm, look forward to updates as usual! 
> 
> That being said, did you all enjoy this chapter? We finally got an update on michaeng, jitzu are dating, according to jihyo 😂 and saida are going well ............... for now :P


	20. The Two Idiots & Rabbit Hat

Chapter 20 - The Two Idiots & Rabbit Hat

IN THE KITCHENS. . .

“PRINCESS DAHYUN,” Rose cried in agony. Jisoo facepalmed, trying to explain, “Princess Dahyun WAS in critical condition, but she’s stabilized now!” Lia narrowed her eyes, asking, “Was? When was this?!” Jisoo cringed, before giving up and replying, “Around the summer ball.”

“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?!” Hyunjin whispered dramatically. He looked around, seeing half the waitresses collapsed over or crying, a few staff members going outside to throw up, and the rest of the staff panicking. Along with their behind-scheduled lunch, he turned back to Jisoo. “I see your point,” he finally concluded, trying his best to maintain the peace. 

Irene watched as the kitchen was in an uproar, groaning in disbelief when it seemed like everyone had forgotten about their actual work. Jisoo raised a hand, and after a moment everyone stared at her silently. “This is private information, understand? Because of . . . who had attacked her, you are not allowed to speak of it outside of the palace, or to each other.” 

So, obviously, what did they do?

Jennie swore it wasn’t her fault, because Lisa’s friend had pressured her into talking about it, and she had told her, “Well, Princess Dahyun was in critical condition,” and that friend told her family, and their neighbors had heard, and then their kid told the school kids, and then the teachers, and the entire south side of the capital, before it seemed like half of Twiceland was convinced that the royal family was trying to cover up Dahyun’s death.

“WHO TOLD?!” Jisoo had demanded the next week, and the room was so silent if a napkin had fallen they could’ve heard it. Jisoo interrogated each member of the staff before stopping at Jennie. “Did you tell?”

With a perfect poker face, she replied, “Of course not.”

AT THE DOCK. . .

“We are?” Tzuyu asks, confused. The rest of the group is sent into a collective frenzy as Jihyo blinks a few times, trying to understand what she just said. “Uh.” 

Jeongyeon surveys the scene, before deciding that if there ever was a good moment for Jihyo to confess, this would be it. Using her best friend skills (Jihyo would owe her one after this) she somehow managed to grab everyone and run a few yards away, distracting them with more food.

So Jihyo and Tzuyu were left standing by themselves, with suitcases all around them. “I. . . uh, well. Um. So.” Tzuyu looked at her blankly while Jihyo tried to piece together a coherent sentence or at least some mumbled confession.

“I like you!” she finally blurted out, face flushed red. She cringed from herself, heart erratically beating. Tzuyu watched her silently, and Jihyo hated the fact that Tzuyu had such a good poker face. “You’re awesome, and smart, and a baby - in, in a good way! And I want to know you better and spend all my time with you, and you’re, oh my god has anyone ever told you how stunning you are, like, all the time, very 10/10 visuals, uh, I’ll. . . I’ll stop.” 

Jihyo was still waiting for a response, and Tzuyu provided no evidence of what she was thinking at all. Finally, Tzuyu turned to meet Jihyo’s gaze, coldly stating, “I like you too.”

At the bitterness of Tzuyu’s tone, Jihyo started to panic, before Tzuyu panicked too, saying, “I’m sorry, I’ve never done this before, what do I do?” For a minute they were each trying to comprehend what was going on and panicking before Jihyo saw Tzuyu’s face red in embarrassment. ‘Ah, there’s the Tzuyu I know,’ she thought, before smiling slightly. 

Then, Jihyo stepped on a suitcase that was still lying on the dock slowly, and Tzuyu’s eyes darkened with surprise and maybe impatience. Delicately, slowly, fragilly, Jihyo placed her hands on Tzuyu’s back. Tzuyu looked at her, lips slightly parted, and Jihyo whispered hoarsely, “May I?”

Tzuyu didn’t reply, instead giving her a kiss as an answer.

MEANWHILE. . .

Momo watched disgustedly as Jihyo and Tzuyu did some cheesy couple shit, turning back to her ice cream grumpily. ‘Stupid couples,’ she thought, and she turned around to see Dahyun and Sana practically making out. She groaned, dejectedly taking another bite of her ice cream. Nayeon and Jeongyeon, however, were squealing, Nayeon wiping away a faked tear of happiness. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” Jeongyeon cried, and Sana giggled. 

“We need to start planning the wedding,” Jeongyeon said aggressively, and all members at the table groaned. 

“Already?!” Dahyun asked incredulously. “YES!”Jeongyeon replied. 

“I don’t know, maybe we should wait a few years? They’ve literally just confessed,” Sana said, but Jeongyeon shook her head, already asking the others about flowers. “Okay, so does anyone here know flower meanings and stuff? And what about the dresses? Wait, will they even wear dresses? And where should we have the wedding? AND WHAT SEASON? Spring is good, but summer is nice too, oh, but in summer it may be too hot, and winter would be fine too, but of course fall has its perks. . .” 

Everyone watched, concerned, as Jeongyeon continued single-handedly drafting the plans for Jihyo and Tzuyu wedding, apparently. “Is she. . .?” Sana asked. Nayeon looked exasperated, but responded, “She’s fine.”

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

“Ohmygod I can’t believe we’re actually dating now,” Jihyo sighed dreamily. Nayeon watched with a disgusted expression as Jihyo continued to ramble on about how amazing Tzuyu was. “Should I get her flowers? Does she like flowers? OH NO, what am I going to say to General Chen he’s going to fire me and then kill me!” Jeongyeon spaced out, saying, “Uh-huh.” 

After a few minutes of trying to enjoy her tea in peace, but failing due to Jihyo’s loud talking, Jeongyeon put the cup down rather suddenly, and her eyebrow twitched. 

“Why is it that everywhere I go, I’m surrounded by happy couples-” Jihyo snickered, retorting, “Well, that’s because you’re just jealous! HAAAHA!” Jihyo stuck her tongue out and Jeongyeon hit her in response, denying, “Am not!” Jihyo made a weird face and said, “AM TOO!”  
Nayeon watched the two bicker, sipping her tea. Then, she said, “Why am I the only mature one here?” Both of her friends quickly turned around, eager to remind her what a baby she was. Jihyo looked toward Jeongyeon, narrowing her eyes. “Well, maybe she wouldn’t be so whiny if a certain someone stopped spoiling her.” 

Jeongyeon feigned ignorance, taking a look outside of the cafe. “She’s an adult, Jeong, you don’t have to be so attentive.” Jeongyeon thought about it, then gave a slow nod. “Maybe you’re right.”

During the conversation, Nayeon had been looking back and forth worriedly, and after Jeongyeon’s statement she started to pretend to cry. “Jeong-ieeee,” she cried, “Will you leave me now? Neomuhae!”

Jeongyeon quickly knocked over her teacup, her chair, her helmet on the table, and nearly Jihyo as she turned around, quickly holding Nayeon and giving her reassurances. “Of course not,” Jeongyeon told her, her inner protective state in panic. After a few minutes of this, Jihyo disgustedly looked at the two. “Are you third-wheeling, or am I, Jeong?” she muttered, and Jeongyeon shot a glare her way, lightly blushing.

As soon as Jeongyeon turned away, Nayeon’s baby act stopped and she shot a cold glare at Jihyo, which Jihyo responded to by dropping her jaw. “HEY! Wait a minute, you - you punk!”

After nearly another hour of Jihyo telling them how amazing Tzuyu was, and - don’t get her wrong, Jeongyeon was fond of the girl, and probably equally excited or even more so than Jihyo that she had FINALLY gotten into a relationship - but there’s only a set limit of how much third-wheeling one can take, and after spending the entire morning trying to ignore Sana and Dahyun cuddling, this was not going to be her entire afternoon.

So they stood up, walking aimlessly around the city. Jihyo glanced over and Nayeon and Jeongyeon. She knew Nayeon often liked to act cute to get Jeongyeon’s attention, but she also knew that it stemmed from a much more serious cause - the entirely real fear of being abandoned that had haunted her throughout her childhood. And she knew about the nightmares, too, and she had never pressed Jeongyeon to talk about it, but she knew vaguely of their old home burning down - all things which she knew affected Nayeon more than she cared to admit.

And that was why Jihyo never asked Jeongyeon to stop babying her, (besides casual teasing) never pried into why Jeongyeon looked extremely tired on some days, or the obvious way Jeongyeon was always thinking of Nayeon, subconsciously and consciously. She would pick out Nayeon’s favorite foods at lunch on the off chance she was still hungry, she would buy a few extra things for her every time they went shopping, or step in to help Nayeon at official gatherings.

It wasn’t like it was one-sided (though Jihyo had thought it was so for a long time) because now she picked up on how Nayeon responded by letting Jeongyeon in, how she was the only one able to calm her down or make her see sense. And she also knew about the way Nayeon, when it was just the three of them (or occasionally, when she accidentally walked in on the two of them) clung to Jeong, ever so gently, and she knew it made Jeongyeon proud, immensely so, that Nayeon reacted to her in such a way.

Though Nayeon didn’t like to talk about it, Jihyo had caught her on many occasions also thinking of Jeongyeon (though she speculated probably subconsciously) by making her gifts, sewing things, showing her bunny toys, or other sorts of small gestures. And Nayeon protected Jeongyeon equally - had fought tooth and nail to be trained just like Jeongyeon, because she didn’t want to be a bother to her. And then stuck by her side, probably saving Jeongyeon more times than they’d noticed.

Because of this, Jihyo tried her best to stay out of their way, because they were perfectly balanced, and why mess up something that was pretty great already? But the key word is ‘TRIED’ because when you’ve been watching two idiots every day for as long as she had, she swore at their wedding it would be her who would be crying the most out of relief.

So imagine her shock when they actually had a fight.

MEANWHILE. . .

Mina hummed as she put a letter in the mailbox, before turning to find Chaeyoung, who was busy bargaining for some food. “Here,” she said as she passed Mina a pancake. They started walking on the sidewalk, Chaeyoung smiling at the sheer wonderfulness of it all.  
Mina grinned at Chaeyoung, starting to tell her a funny story when she heard something. “. . . Princess Dahyun. . . critical condition. . . assumed dead. . .”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widened, turning to Mina and then turning towards the source of the noise. It was two older women, and Chaeyoung walked up, asking, “Excuse me ma’am? What are you talking about?” One of them told Chaeyoung, “Well, the news is everywhere! You know Princess Dahyun from Atmiser, our allied country in the north. She’s in critical condition, the royal family’s trying to cover it up. Apparently got attacked by someone in the capital.”

The other woman added, “It’s a scary place nowadays. Be careful, girls!” Mina’s eyes widened. She wasn’t extremely close to Dahyun, but the thought of something like that happening - and oh god, Sana -

She turned to Chaeyoung, asking hoarsely, “What do we do?” Chaeyoung shook her head, quietly saying, “We have to go back.” 

“We?” Chaeyoung scoffed, “Yes, we.” Mina nodded shakily, and before they knew it they were hurrying to get on a carriage to the capital. “I’m sorry,” Mina said, and Chaeyoung looked surprised. “What for? It’s not your fault. Besides, no matter what happens, I had a great time.” 

Mina pouted slightly. “Don’t say that. It’s not over yet.” 

Chaeyoung smiled at Mina gently, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around her. “Okay.”

BACK AT THE CASTLE. . .

Dahyun watched, confused, as Nayeon came into the room, upset. Her and Sana were in the middle of a ‘tea party’ as Sana liked to call it, and Sana picked up on this, asking, “Where’s Jeongyeon?” Nayeon shook her head, but offered no other explanation, which left the two princesses lost.

A few hours earlier, Jeongyeon was walking through the city and saw a small bunny hat. Laughing, she quickly bought it and made her way back to the palace, and after a while, knocked on Nayeon’s door. “Nabongs, I got you something,” Jeongyeon called, snorting at the silliness of the situation.

But to her surprise, Nayeon offered no response, instead sitting stonily on the bed, arms crossed. “I don’t want it.”  
Jeongyeon raised an eyebrow, flipping over the hat a few times, humming, “It’ll be a shame to just throw it awa-”

“Stop bothering me!” 

Jeongyeon watched, wide-eyed, as Nayeon stood up, annoyed. Jeongyeon scoffed, setting the bunny hat down, and starting to get mad. “Really, Nayeon?” Nayeon flinched at the tone, realizing that if Jeongyeon used her real name, they weren’t playing around.

“I was just thinking of you! But of course, you can’t accept anything, can you? I always have to be the one to babysit you, to take care of you, and you know what?” 

Jeongyeon knew that she should’ve stopped, because it was just a stupid toy, and Nayeon needed her space, and on any other day the frightened expression on Nayeon’s face would’ve been enough to stop her dead in her tracks, but today she was just too tired for this, too sick of it.

“I never asked for you! Alright?! You just showed up one day on my doorstep and somehow it just happened, but it wasn’t my choice! So if you could be a bit less like this, I’d appreciate it!”

For as long as Nayeon had remembered, it had always been Jeongyeon. She only had vague memories of the time before she had lived with Jeongyeon, and she supposed she had just taken it for granted, but all she could think of was every day how much Jeongyeon had sacrificed for her sake, how many times Jeongyeon could’ve done less but hadn’t, because -

And before this moment, Jeongyeon had never, and she meant never, raised her voice at her, only had the utmost patience, and while everyone else was too scary, too unpredictable, she had faith in Jeongyeon most of all, and it was an unhealthy connection (or maybe she made it that way) but she damn well wasn’t letting go of it.

And though she should’ve been scared, and mad, (which most of her was, and a part of her heart crumpled at Jeongyeon’s words) she could only express relief.

And in that moment, she came to grasp something that she had honestly always realized, an undeniable truth that she didn’t just believe, she knew.

“I love you, Jeongyeon,” she mumbled, and she watched as Jeongyeon’s face collapsed.

Grabbing the rabbit hat, Jeongyeon left the room without a word.

“HELLO everyone!” Jihyo greeted, and the kitchen work was quickly abandoned as many staff members came up to greet Jihyo. “CONGRATULATIONS!” Lia quickly called, and Jihyo blinked a few times, before asking, “For what?” Lia grinned, jokingly saying, “Because of you and your new gf Tzuyu!”

Several people laughed before looking at Jihyo’s shocked face. Jisoo quickly realized what was going on and groaned, mumbling, “Please no.” Jihyo, meanwhile, was confused. “How did you know?” she asked.

Lia gasped, saying, “What?! I was just joking! Lord almighty, are you actually. . . ?!” 

The kitchen exploded into chaos and congratulations again, and amidst all the crying and re-celebration, Hyunjin threw some pieces of paper at Lia, annoyed. Why was she always on top of rumors? And how were they always correct?!

When the staff started suggesting taking shots to celebrate the new relationship, Irene decided that it was quite enough celebrating. “Alright, everyone, back to the kitchen! Sir Jihyo has important business to attend to!” 

After giving them all a goodbye, Jihyo rolled her eyes. She did have important business - if that counted visiting Jeongyeon. Before she could look for her, however, Jeongyeon was already in her arms, seemingly - crying?!

That couldn’t be right. Jeongyeon never cri-OH NO SHE WAS CRYING. Quickly finding an abandoned room, she asked, “Jeongyeon?! What’s going on?”

Jeongyeon explained the situation, telling Jihyo about how she had yelled at Nayeon. “I was so horrible,” she sobbed, and Jihyo tried to reason, “Well, yes, but I’m sure Nayeon will forgive you?” After a few sniffles, Jeongyeon asked, “Why phrase it like a question?” Jihyo continued, “Besides, aren’t you her favorite girlfriend?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Jeongyeon growled, “We’re not even - you’re no help at all!”

Jihyo shrugged, and after giving Jeongyeon some tissues, she realized that this was the first time she had seen the two truly fight. “Did you guys ever fight?” Jeongyeon scoffed, explaining, “Oh, we used to all the time. After she wanted to also enroll in martial arts, and have a position in the military, I wouldn’t let her. . . until she said that I was just abandoning her.” 

Jihyo cringed. That did sound like something Nayeon would say. “Where do you think she is?” Jeongyeon asked, and Jihyo tried to think. “Maybe outside?” Jeongyeon nodded, standing up. Surprised, Jihyo asked, “You’re going now?”

“Sooner better than later, right?” And with that, she left the room. Thinking back about how she needed time to summon her own courage to apologize to Tzuyu, Jihyo raised an eyebrow. ‘Jeongyeon’s got guts,’ she thought.

“Ooooh, what’s going on?” Another voice in the room startled her, and Jihyo turned around, asking, “Momo? What are you doing here?!” Momo looked pointedly at her and replied, “This is literally the music room.” Jihyo looked around guilty, and replied, “Oh.”

OUTSIDE. . .

‘Ah, what a pretty flower, maybe Nayeon would like it,’ Jeongyeon thought unconsciously, before quickly pushing the thought back. Soon enough, she spotted a familiar silhouette, top barely visible amongst the tall bushes.

Jeongyeon slowly walked up, before giving an apologetic, “Hey Nabongs.” In response, Nayeon gently grabbed Jeongyeon’s hand, and she took the signal and sat down next to her.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” Jeongyeon started. “It wasn’t true, what I said, I mean, it kind of was, but-” she took a deep breath to steady herself, then continued, “What I meant was that, maybe it wasn’t a choice at first, but every day that I spend with you, it’s because I chose to. Because I wanted to. So please don’t ever feel like a burden.” 

Nayeon sniffled, and before Jeongyeon knew it, she was crying quietly. “Nabongs!” Nayeon angrily wiped her tears away, saying, “That just makes it worse, you know?” 

Jeongyeon, confused, wrapped an arm around Nayeon. “Why? I just don’t understand. Why would you do that for someone. . . someone like. . .” And then Jeongyeon’s heart broke, yet again, at seeing Nayeon like this, because she believed that she was unlovable, which was just another part of her childhood that as much Jeongyeon reassured her against, she couldn’t change.

But she could sure as hell try. And with a soft grin, Jeongyeon took both of Nayeon’s hands in her own, and looked at her in the eyes. “Because I love you.” After a few seconds of silence, as if making sure Jeongyeon was being serious, Nayeon burst into tears again, before launching herself into Jeongyeon’s arms.

She wouldn’t openly admit it, of course, but of course they both knew that Jeongyeon needed Nayeon as much - or maybe more - than the other way around. Because before Nayeon had shown up, Jeongyeon had nearly died of loneliness and boredom, wandering the hills around her house, wondering if someday something better would happen. And it had.

They hadn’t really even talked much, but somehow they both felt a whole lot better.

A few minutes later, they were walking down the path towards the castle, holding hands loosely. 

“So, why were you so upset?” Jeongyeon asked. Nayeon blushed lightly, apologizing. “I just had a rough day. . . and when I went to the market, the restaurant with the good food was closed. Momo and Dahyun asked me to get them ice cream, but it ended up melting. . . wasn’t very smart, was it?”

As if sharing a secret, Jeongyeon snorted. “To be fair, they’re not very smart either.” After laughing (and then scolding Jeongyeon for being rude) Nayeon asked, “What about you?” Jeongyeon put her free hand behind her neck, regretfully saying, “I don’t know. . . stress, I guess. Sorry for taking it out on you.” Nayeon smiled slightly. “Well, maybe us and Jihyo can go to a massage place. Or take a few day’s vacation. We’ve earned it.” 

Jeongyeon nodded, and after agreeing on next week, they stayed in a comfortable silence, Jeongyeon musing over things. She was glad they had made up, because before anything else, Nayeon was her best friend, and though Jeongyeon said that she loved her, it wasn’t in the way that outsiders might think. (Namely Jihyo.) 

Though she hoped for, dreamed of one day maybe confessing to Nayeon her feelings, it didn’t matter that much to her.

Because like she said, they were best friends, and then they were partners in crime, and it was them against the world, and she was pretty sure that she knew nearly everything there was to know about Nayeon. (Of course, generally speaking. Jeongyeon was never tired of being with Nayeon.) 

And she did want to take care of her, and spend time with her, and she wanted Nayeon to do those things back, but at the root of it all there was her strong love for Nayeon.

In this case, it was platonic - because when Jeongyeon meant something as romantic, she made it very clear. Because with the two of them, it was always the other first just for the fact that they cared so much for each other. 

And a part of her thought that they could go forever like this, that maybe it wouldn’t matter if Nayeon didn’t love her back in - that - way.

And then another part would whisper, ‘but one day she’ll find someone else to settle down with,’ and Jeongyeon knew she wasn’t strong enough to watch that unfold. It would lead to catastrophe.

And even another part would insist that Jeongyeon couldn’t live without Nayeon in - that - way, and she nearly had a mental breakdown every time she thought about it. How much of Nayeon would be too much?

As you can see, there was no way that Jeongyeon would come to a conclusion anytime soon. And Nayeon, who was right beside her, couldn’t see anything wrong, nor the obvious pain that Jeongyeon had and was going through. Two idiots. 

But before Jeongyeon could spiral further into self-pity, there was a clamor at the front of the kitchens, and Jihyo was running around frantically, high-pitched and loud noises coming from her. They both looked at each other strangely before jogging quickly over there, when Nayeon then asked, “What’s going on?” 

Pale, she got her answer when Jihyo turned two bundles of barely-recognizable blanket bundles.

“PRINCESS MINA AND CHAEYOUNG?!”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JITZU FAM WHERE U AT?! I’m so happy for them 😭😭 Also I swore I only wrote like 2 paragraphs of 2yeon but then this just??? Happened??? Saida fans! You’ll get some content later, promise! Speaking of that, thanks to the rumors michaeng’s back 🥲 pray for them guys.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment if u liked it. Next chap may be a bit later, (Wednesday) so hang in there :D


	21. Doomsday Bunker

Chapter 21 - Doomsday Bunker

There was no stopping the sheer fury and excitement from the news that Princess Mina was returning. Sana and Dahyun had heard about it, quickly hurrying down to the servant’s kitchens, and the King and Queen knew, somehow.

It was a ticking time bomb, and before Nayeon could cry her heart out over Mina, Sana and Dahyun were there, giving lots of hugs, and that’s when Jeongyeon had a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Shit. Everyone probably knows,” she realized, and all of her friends turned towards her. “Mina, we told the King and Queen that you were leaving to study with some scholar,” Nayeon whimpered.

Mina looked worried, everything happening too fast to process. “But - Dahyun, you’re fine?” Dahyun looked confused, saying, “Of course I am?” Chaeyoung shook her head. “But there was a rumor going around that you’d been assassinated, or something.” After reassuring them that she was fine, the pair breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Well, this was an aimless trip,’ Chaeyoung thought. ‘We should’ve known better than to believe random gossip.’ But Jeongyeon was the only one that was actually thinking properly. “If the king and queen come, what will we do?” she asked. Before they had any more time to ponder it, though, the King in question had stepped through the servant’s kitchen.

All of the staff had been quickly moved to the side as the over-sentimental king quickly burst into tears at the sight of his daughter. And then, without explanation, with no one noticing -

Nayeon and Dahyun quietly left the scene.

Mina was panicking - what had Jeongyeon said? She had gone. . . gone where? “Oh, Mina! You don’t know how happy I am to see you, and your mother too, I’m sure,” the King said. “How was your trip?”

Mina tried to look around for help, but when she received none, she chuckled nervously. “Great,” she replied. Jeongyeon thought of something else to say, and it was at this moment that it started going downhill. “She had a great time studying,” Jeongyeon said, and Mina added at the same time, “I had a great time with Chaeyoung.”

Jeongyeon’s eyes widened in panic as Mina looked back at her in alarm. Shit! 

The King wasn’t stupid - he could feel that something was off, and asked, “Chaeyoung?” Mina looked at the floor, realizing that it was now or never. “Yeah, Chaeyoung.” She took Chaeyoung’s arm, holding her close. “Okay. . . so, listen, I didn’t actually go studying. . .” 

Jeongyeon watched with horror, thinking, ‘This is how it ends.’ Sana had inched her way closer to Mina, as if her presence could direct the King’s inevitable anger away from Mina. And Chaeyoung had a comforting hold on her, eyes burning with a fire that just dared anyone to cross her.

Looking around, Jeongyeon thought it was like a doomsday bunker, protecting Mina and Chaeyoung. But for what?

Of course, she knew the answer. As soon as Mina had finished her story, there was a minute of stunned silence from all parties before the King said, in a low voice, “You what?” He shook his head. “Nevermind. Mina, you know that if your mother heard, she’d go ballistic, right? She’s been trying to find you suitors - last I heard, the Duke of Easmouth-” Mina groaned, complaining, “Not the Duke of Asparagus again-” “MINA!” 

After an agitated huff, the King put a hand on his forehead. “There’s no way that the council will accept this - what about an heir? And, you’re,” he looked at Chaeyoung. “She’s an artist? Mina, I’ll need at least several months to convince them even halfway, she has no formal education,” Mina couldn’t help but tear up. “You’ll help?”

The King pursed his lips, looking annoyed. 

“Unfortunately, because I know everyone else will be against. . .” he looked at the two. “Whatever this is, I have to support you. So yes. But your mother - and the council, if I tell them everything now, they’ll lose their minds, it has to be introduced slowly,” he told them.

Mina felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders, and she gave her father a hug in relief. “But! That doesn’t mean I approve.” he narrowed his eyes at Chaeyoung. “Young woman, you’re on thin ice.”

The next series of events happened in a blur. The door opened, everyone saw that, and the Queen had stepped through it, which was the exact moment where Jeongyeon stood in front of Chaeyoung and Sana grabbed Mina’s hand, pulling the two of them back. The King was crying, almost, like in a sense he knew it was another goodbye, and could only give a brief, painful wave to Mina before he stepped forward, likely delaying the Queen.

Jeongyeon looked behind her - she was the only one who had noticed Nayeon disappearing, and thankfully the two knew each other well enough because Nayeon was back with a horse, and she leapt off, then put Mina and Chaeyoung on, telling them, “The stables.” Without another word, the horse seemed more in command than his riders, because he gave a loud neigh and galloped off.

During this time, Jeongyeon whistled loudly, hoping that Nayeon had let her horse out of the stable, and, shooting her a relieved grin, her horse came running up, rathered annoyed, (you can take a nap later, lazy kid) but Jeongyeon pulled Nayeon up with her anyway, and they gave Sana the instructions, “We’ll be right back. Don’t tell the Queen anything!”

With the breeze hitting her face, she veered around bushes and she could distantly hear the worried yelps of Chaeyoung in front of them, with glanced back at Nayeon, who looked kind of starstruck, and Jeongyeon didn’t know it, but she was thinking about - how should she put this - hot Jeongyeon looked.

Scoffing at herself, Nayeon turned her attention back to the stables, which was rapidly approaching ahead. Jeongyeon squinted. Who was that with Dahyun. . . ? 

Dahyun stood there, grinning at the hooded figure. “You got this,” she told him. The four quickly got off their respective horses (some more clumsily than others, but this is a judgement free zone) and Dahyun explained, “I thought there might be trouble. Here’s what I thought of. . .”

Dahyun explained how there was a place in Atmiser, a whole city, really, that Dahyun had once escaped to, where everyone there was under firm allegiance to the royal family, and she could write them a letter to keep their identities a secret.

“Wait, you mean we can. . . like, hide in this city?” Chaeyoung asked. Dahyun nodded. “For as long as you want. It’s big, too, and in the countryside.” Mina looked at Chaeyoung. “There’s really nowhere else we can go,” she muttered. “And everyone here’s going to be looking for you,” Chaeyoung sighed.

“How do we go there?” Dahyun gave them a triumphant grin, and the hooded figure pulled off their cloak, waving lightly. Several shrieks came from them, and both Nayeon and Jeongyeon drew their swords, before Dahyun told them it was alright.

Because the man was a figure they had all recognized - the insane guy that tried to break into the palace, the one who was, Nayeon remembered, a very good fighter, and Dahyun launched into a short but convincing argument about how he was trustworthy, and how he had practically raised her, and besides, he knew of the place, and had lots of connections, so could get them a boat and food and whatever they needed.

Mina was convinced - she trusted Dahyun, and against her own instincts she liked this guy too, he had an air around him that was calming. Chaeyoung, seeing no other option, was satisfied with this idea, and Nayeon (without the others knowing) had visited him often in the prison. She had somehow hoped that he could help train the new Twiceland recruits, but obviously that was out of the question now. And she had judged that he was a fine man, if not too devoted to Dahyun, and so the only one that raised an argument -

“HELL NO!” Jeongyeon yelled, pointing her sword at the intruder. “I’ll drag them there myself before letting him do it!” Dahyun sighed, trying to tell her again that he was perfectly fine, and Mina and Chaeyoung even pitched in, saying that they were fine with the proposal, and it wasn’t until Nayeon stepped in that things changed.

Honestly, on any other occasion the three would’ve barfed at whatever the heck they were doing, and Mina thought, ‘Isn’t it unhealthy to solve all of our problems in. . . this way?’

Because Nayeon had snuck up behind Jeongyeon, wrapping her arms around her, and whispered something in Jeongyeon’s ear which had caused her to simultaneously choke and flush red. After a second of staring, Jeongyeon scoffed, “. . . Fine.” 

(What the frick, Dahyun thought. The actual frick.)

So as a compromise, Jeongyeon shoved the man, saying, “So much as a scratch on either of them and I’ll hang you at the stake, dissect your intestines, and feed them to my hors-” “ENOUGH!” Dahyun called, quickly urging Mina and Chaeyoung back on the horse. The man (Jeongyeon had forgotten his name) took another horse, and Nayeon was crying again, saying, “Send us lots of letters, you two!” Dahyun was saying something to the man, before Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Dahyun gave a final farewell to the three, and Mina blew them all a kiss, which they had tearfully laughed at.

And then, too quickly, they all raised their hands, waving. The man turned back, putting a fist in the air for a few seconds, and Dahyun returned the gesture. Chaeyoung was comforting Mina, who was upset at leaving her friends again, and before long they were no more than specks in the distance.

And the silence of the stables was too much to endure Nayeon and Jeongyeon thought, and they were about to start bawling when Dahyun stepped forward, coughing and muttering, “This place smells like horse shit,” and that had caused Nayeon and Jeongyeon to glance at each other, resisting a laugh, and a moment later they had laughed, quietly, and then it had bubbled up to a loud howl that let all of their pent up emotions through the day out, and Dahyun had laughed along, too, glad to see a scene like this.

The King managed to convince the Queen that, NO, Mina was not back, it was a silly rumor, and WHAT, no way, Sana was just here to you know hang out with the staff, and ON A SEPARATE NOTE, maybe it was time to break old traditions, honey, what do you think about letting, say dukes and the sort marry commoners. . . . you get the picture.

The kitchen was sworn to silence, and with the presence of the King, no one, even Jennie, would dare to speak to heck, their living room rug about what they had witnessed today. Sana, meanwhile, was waiting at the back door for her friends. They didn’t disappoint; a few minutes later Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Dahyun could be seen trudging along the hills.

Sana laughed lightly before hurrying towards them, making sure Nayeon and Jeongyeon were alright before helping Dahyun stand. They looked drained, and Sana asked, “What happened?” Dahyun raised an eyebrow, and Nayeon and Jeongyeon stayed quiet, everyone too tired to respond. 

“We’ll talk about it later,” Jeongyeon said blearily.

Around a week later, things had finally calmed down slightly. The Queen was convinced that Mina was alright, and the King was starting the slow process of trying to make the council subtly agree to the idea of Mina someday pursuing a relationship with a commoner. 

It was frustrating work, he told them, but he would do it. And of course whenever needed, Jeongyeon and Nayeon would add their ‘very professional’ opinions on the matter. Honestly, the council was just too naive for their own good.

And Sana and Dahyun were fine, obviously. In fact, almost too fine. Jeongyeon found herself leaving Nayeon with them and going to the other side of the town to talk to Jihyo, who seemed like the only sane person around here.

That was, of course, until Tzuyu showed up. She regarded their relationship with some humor, but mostly with happiness for them. It surely was odd - she had never expected Jihyo to fall for someone like Tzuyu, but looking back it seemed kind of obvious. A strange scenario, perhaps, but nevertheless a good one.

Sana, on the other hand, was too over the top. It seemed like after she had properly reclaimed Dahyun, she intended to literally shove her affection in everyone else’s face, which Jeongyeon thought was funny too, and slightly annoying, but she could tolerate it. 

A few weeks after that, they had received their first letter.

THE NIGHT OF THE ESCAPE. . .

Mina and Chaeyoung jumped off the horse, watching as the old man convinced the dock workers to let them have a boat. He managed to get a rather nice one, and they all hopped on, the man steering. Chaeyoung watched, excited as they left Twiceland soil for the first time in her life. She looked at Mina, slightly worried.

But Mina turned around and gave her a bright smile (if not a tired one) and Chaeyoung was relieved. “So. Atmiser,” Mina said. Chaeyoung grinned, replying, “We’ll have to see if the food is as good as Dahyun claims it is,” she joked. The man chuckled, a few feet ahead of them. “I’ll make sure you two have only the best cooks. And don’t worry - it’ll all be covered by the old King’s tab.”

They all laughed at that, and the man continued, “Ah, I guess you can call me Mr. Kim. I like to fancy myself that I’m Dahyun’s uncle,” he joked, and Chaeyoung scoffed at that. Mr. Kim glanced ahead of the ship, then said, “About a week until we land. From then, two, three days until we get to the town.” He grinned at them. 

“I’m not boring - I can guess you girls don’t want to stay cooped up in that town for long, eh? There’s lots of things you can do and places to explore around there. It’s far away from any major cities, so that’s lucky.” Mina nodded in thanks, and felt like she was about to fall asleep.

Chaeyoung took her down to the bottom of the ship, and then moved the two beds together, crawling in to lay next to her. “You alright?” Chaeyoung asked, and Mina gave a small smile. “Fine.” After studying her for a while, Chaeyoung decided that was good enough, for now. 

Around a week later, as the man had promised, they saw their first glimpse of Atmiser. It was larger than Twiceland, and had all sorts of riches, along with a good military (which Mina guessed was pretty biased, coming from the head of the military, but she understood that) and he pointed to a dock in the distance. “We’ll land there. Thankfully Princess Dahyun gave me my royal badge of whatever now, which is a fancy name for ‘You can show it to anyone and they’ll do your bidding, and charge the king later.’”

Mina felt a deep excitement as she watched the land get closer and closer. Ever since she had met Chaeyoung, she was doing all sorts of crazy things, she realized, chuckling quietly.

They hurried through the bustling town, weaving through the loud shouts of the dock, and after a long day of Mr. Kim trying to find a carriage worker, they managed to nab one. It was unreal, to see so many unfamiliar places and to have the knowledge that none of these people knew who she was. She told Chaeyoung this, and asked, “Is this how you feel all the time?” Chaeyoung giggled and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Princess, not everyone is born famous,” and they giggled about nothing in particular.

She had to give Dahyun credit: Mr. Kim was nothing but hospitable, and the town they had finally arrived in was the most breathtaking place she had seen, perhaps in her life. (Her father would be scandalized, but it was the truth.) Where did she begin? There were waterfalls, first of all, and that was amazing, and also, when they were entering the town, the forest that looped through had shown deer, and she was excited about that.

The town was in a valley, and the path above it offered a spectacular view, and it looked so colorful Mina wasn’t sure if she was in a dream or not. Adding to this was the bright blue sky above, which seemed to be trying to convince Mina that this wasn’t too good to be true, and she watched as they passed through the city, everyone seemingly realizing who Mr. Kim was but not talking to him.

“Most of the people here have sworn themselves to the royal family,” he said. “Some are retired workers, some are orphans or others that the royal family has helped, and some are just regular citizens who somehow got caught up with the royal web. Whatever the cause, you can be assured these people wouldn’t give up your information if they were threatened with poison.”

Although that seemed rather horrifying, Mina was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen, and it was a huge relief off her shoulders that they were going to be completely safe.

Looking over at Chaeyoung, who was bright-eyed, Mina chuckled lowly, thinking that Chae would have a field day with all of this nice scenery. She hoped to see Chaeyoung’s work in action - Mina had never watched her actually paint before.

They were shown towards a large house - well, maybe to Chaeyoung it was large. It had three bedrooms, along with all the other rooms of a normal house. But it also had a study and another room which could be converted into an art room. Luckily, it had windows that were from the floor to the ceiling and faced southeast, which Chaeyoung seemed pleased about.

Mr. Kim was cackling as he was ordering art supplies - he DEMANDED to order only the nicest ones, and boy were they expensive. Chaeyoung protested at first, but Mina and Mr. Kim managed to convince her. “Anyway,” Mr. Kim said. Mina had butted in, grinning, “It’s on the King’s tab.”

Chaeyoung had thought about that, and then shrugged in defeat, finally declaring, “Well, it’s not like he’s going to miss it.” Thinking about that, she could smile a bit bigger.

A few weeks later, all of Mina’s doubts (though she didn’t have a lot, after seeing the town) were completely erased, because this was incredible, and she finally convinced Chaeyoung to sit down and write a letter.  
Throughout all of this, Mr. Kim had been as promised - extremely helpful, always listening, never problematic. He must’ve gone though a horrible phase for him to attack the palace like that, Mina thought. Because he thought that Dahyun was lost at the time, it must’ve taken a huge toll on him.

Anyways, the letter. Mina had dragged Chaeyoung to the study, where a piece of paper and ink awaited. Picking up the pen and looking at Chaeyoung for help, they started,

“Everyone at the capital. . .”

To be continued. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some exciting news...I made another one shot twice music college!au that’s loosely related to the multi-chap fic I’ll write later, so if you’d like to check that out go ahead! Other exciting news: SAIDA FANS GET THE FRICK READY. They’re too cute 😭😭 Hope you guys liked the update! It’s spring break next week, so I might not update Bc too busy playing games (crying abt Mario kart) 😎 sorry guys :(

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellow ONCE um what am I supposed to say ramen is yummy
> 
> YO! Go check out my tumblr @piano-king for artworks about my fics! :D


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